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THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

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NORTH  CAROLINA 

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ENDOWED  BY  THE 

DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOCIETIES 


PS2162 
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1872 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00008724945 


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ROB    OF    THE    BOWL. 


ROB   OF  THE   BOWL. 


A  LEGEND  OF  ST.  INIGOE'S. 


BY 

JOHN   P.   KENNEDY, 

AUTHOR  OF   "SWALLOW  BARN,"    "  HORSE-SHOE  ROBINSON,"   ETC 


Daniel.    Quot  homines  tot  sententise. 

Martin.    And  what  is  that  ? 

uuniel.    'T  is  Greek,  and  argues  difference  of  opinion. 

John  Woodvil 


REVISED  EDITION. 


NEW  YORK: 
G.  P.  PUTNAM  AND  SONS, 

Association  Building,  4th  Avenue  and  23d  St. 
1872. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1854,  by 
G.  P.  PUTNAM  &  COMPANY, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE. 


The  tale  related  in  the  following  pages  refers  to  a  period 
in  the  history  of  Maryland,  which  has  heretofore  been 
involved  in  great  obscurity, — many  of  the  most  important 
records  connected  with  it  having  been  lost  to  pub]ic  in- 
spection in  forgotten  repositories,  where  they  have  crum- 
bled away  under  the  touch  of  time.  To  the  persevering 
research  of  the  accomplished  Librarian  of  the  State — a 
gentleman  whose  dauntless  antiquarian  zeal  and  liberal 
scholarship  are  only  surpassed  by  the  enlightened  judg- 
ment with  which  he  discharges  the  functions  of  his  office — 
we  are  indebted  for  the  rescue  of  the  remnant  of  these 
memorials  of  by-gone  days,  from  the  oblivion  to  which  the 
carelessness  of  former  generations  had  consigned  them. 
Many  were  irrecoverable ;  and  it  was  the  fate  of  the  gen- 
tleman referred  to,  to  see  them  fall  into  dust  at  the  moment 
that  the  long  estranged  light  first  glanced  upon  them. 

To  some  of  those  which  have  been  saved  from  this 
wreck,  the  author  is  indebted  for  no  small  portion  of  the 
materials  of  his  story.  In  his  endeavor  to  illustrate  these 
passages  in  the  annals  of  the  state,  it  is  proper  for  him  to 


PREFACE, 


say  that  lie  has  aimed  to  perform  his  task  with  historical 
fidelity.  If  he  has  set  in  harsher  lights  than  may  be 
deemed  charitable  some  of  the  actors  in  these  scenes,  or 
rjortrayed  in  lineaments  of  disparagement  or  extenuation, 
beyond  their  deserts,  the  partisans  on  either  side  in  that 
war  of  intolerance  which  disfigured  the  epoch  of  this  tale, 
it  was  apart  from  his  purpose.  As  a  native  of  the  state, 
he  feels  a  prompt  sensibility  to  the  fame  of  her  Catholic 
founders,  and,  though  differing  from  them  in  his  faith, 
cherishes  the  remembrance  of  their  noble  endeavors  to 
establish  religious  freedom,  with  the  affection  due  to  what 
he  believes  the  most  wisely  planned  and  honestly  exe- 
cuted scheme  of  society  which  at  that  era,  at  least,  was  to 
be  found  in  the  annals  of  mankind.  In  the  temper 
inspired  by  this  sentiment,  these  volumes  have  been 
given  to  the  public,  and  are  now  respectfully  inscribed  to 
The  State  of  Maryland,  by  one  who  takes  the  deepest 
interest  in  whatever  concerns  her  present  happiness  or 
ancient  renown. 

THE  AUTHOR 

Baltimore,  Dec.  1,  1838. 


CHAPTER  I. 


No  more  thy  glassy  brook  reflects  the  day, 
But  choked  with  sedges,  works  its  weedy  way  ; 
Along  thy  glades  a  solitary  guest, 
The  hollow-sounding  bittern  guards  its  nest; 
Amidst  thy  desert  walks  the  lapwing  flies, 
And  tires  their  echoes  with  unvaried  cries. 
Sunk  are  thy  bowers  in  shapeless  ruin  all, 
And  the  long  grass  o'ertops  the  mould'ring  wall. 

The  Deserted  Village. 


It  is  now  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty-four  years  sinee 
the  ancient  capital  of  Maryland  was  shorn  of  its  honors,  by  the 
removal  of  the  public  offices,  and,  along  with  them,  the  public 
functionaries,  to  Annapolis.  The  date  of  this  removal,  I  think, 
is  recorded  as  of  the  year  of  grace  sixteen  hundred  and  ninety- 
four.  The  port  of  St.  Mary's,  up  to  that  epoch,  from  the  first 
settlement  of  the  province,  comprehending  rather  more  than  three 
score  years,  had  been  the  seat  of  the  Lord  Proprietary's  govern- 
ment. This  little  city  had  grown  up  in  hard-favored  times, 
which  had  their  due  effect  in  leaving  upon  it  the  visible  tokens  of 
a  stunted  vegetation  :  it  waxed  gnarled  and  crooked,  as  it  perked 
itself  upward  through  the  thorny  troubles  of  its  existence,  and 
might  be  likened  to  the  black  jack,  which  yet  retains  a  foothold 
in  this  region, — a  scrubby,  tough  and  hardy  mignon  of  the  forest, 
whose  elder  day  of  crabbed  luxuriance  affords  a  sour  comment 
upon  the  nurture  of  its  youth. 

Geographers  are  aware  that  the  city  of  St.  Mary's  stood  on 

570282     to5r 


8  BOB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

the  left  bank  of  the  river  which  now  bears  the  same  name  (though 
of  old  it  was  called  St.  George's)  and  which  flows  into  the 
Potomac  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  on 
the  western  side  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  at  a  short  distance 
westward  from  Point  Lookout  :  but  the  very  spot  where  the  old 
city  stood  is  known  only  to  a  few, — for  the  traces  of  the  early 
residence  of  the  Proprietary  government  have  nearly  faded  away 
from  the  knowledge  of  this  generation.  An  astute  antiquarian 
eye,  however,  may  define  the  site  of  the  town  by  the  few  scattered 
bricks  which  the  ploughshare  has  mingled  with  the  ordinary 
tillage  of  the  fields.  It  may  be  determined,  still  more  visibly,  by 
the  mouldering  and  shapeless  ruin  of  the  ancient  State  House, 
whose  venerable  remains — I  relate  it  with  a  blush — have  been 
pillaged,  to  furnish  building  materials  for  an  unsightly  church, 
which  now  obtrusively  presents  its  mottled,  mortar-stained  and 
shabby  front  to  the  view  of  the  visitor,  immediately  beside  the 
wreck  of  this  early  monument  of  the  founders  of  Maryland. 
Over  these  ruins  a  storm-shaken  and  magnificent  mulberry, 
aboriginal,  and  cotemporary  with  the  settlement  of  the  province, 
yet  rears  its  shattered  and  topless  trunk,  and  daily  distils  upon 
the  sacred  relics  at  its  foot,  the  dews  of  heaven, — an  august 
and  brave  old  mourner  to  the  departed  companions  of  its  prime. 
There  is  yet  another  memorial  in  the  family  tomb  of  the  Pro- 
prietary, whose  long-respected  and  holy  repose,  beneath  the  scant 
shade  of  the  mulberry,  has,  within  twenty  years  past,  been  dese- 
crated by  a  worse  than  Yandal  outrage,  and  whose  lineaments  may 
now  with  difficulty  be  followed  amidst  the  rubbish  produced  by 
this  violation. 

These  faded  memorials  tell  their  story  like  honest  chronicles. 
And  a  brave. story  it  is  of  hardy  adventure,  and  manly  love  of 
freedom  !  The  scattered  bricks,  all  mouldered  in  the  mother-land, 
remind  us  of  the  launching  of  the  bark,  the  struggle  with  the 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  9 

unfamiliar  wave,  the  array  of  the  wonder-stricken  savage,  and 
the  rude  fellowship  of  the  first  meeting.  They  recall  the  hearths 
whose  early  fires  gleamed  upon  the  visage  of  the  bold  cavalier, 
while  the  deep,  unconquerable  faith  of  religion,  and  the  impas- 
sioned instincts  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  devotion  to  liberty,  were 
breathed  by  household  groups,  in  customary  household  terms. 
They  speak  of  sudden  alarms,  and  quick  arming  for  battle  ; — of 
stout  resolve,  and  still  stouter  achievement.  They  tell  of  the 
victory  won,  and  quiet  gradually  confirmed, — and  of  the  increas- 
ing rapture  as,  day  by  day,  the  settler's  hopes  were  converted  into 
realities,  when  he  saw  the  wilderness  put  forth  the  blossoms 
of  security  and  comfort. 

The  river  penetrates  from  the  Potomac  some  twelve  miles 
inland,  where  it  terminates  in  little  forked  bays  which  wash  the 
base  of  the  woody  hills.  St.  George's  Island  stretches  half  across 
its  mouth,  forming  a  screen  by  which  the  course  of  the  Potomac 
is  partly  concealed  from  view.  From  this  island,  looking  north- 
ward, up  St.  Mary's  river,  the  eye  rests  upon  a  glittering  sheet  of 
water  about  a  league  in  breadth,  bounded  on  either  shore  by  low 
meadow-grounds  and  cultivated  fields  girt  with  borders  of  forest ; 
whilst  in  the  distance,  some  two  leagues  upward,  interlocking 
promontories,  with  highlands  in  their  rear,  and  cedar-crowned 
cliffs  and  abrupt  acclivities  which  shut  in  the  channel,  give  to  the 
river  the  features  of  a  lake.  St.  Inigoe's  creek,  flowing  into  the 
river  upon  the  right  hand,  along  the  base  of  these  cliffs,  forms  by 
its  southern  shore  a  flat,  narrow  and  grass-clad  point,  upon  which 
the  ancient  Jesuit  House  of  the  patron  saint  whose  name  dis- 
tinguishes the  creek,  throws  up,  in  sharp  relief,  its  chateau-like 
profile,  together  with  its  windmill,  its  old  trees,  barns  and  cottages, 
— the  whole  suggesting  a  resemblance  to  a  strip  of  pasteboard 
scenery  on  a  prolonged  and  slender  base  line  of  green. 

When  the  voyager  from  the  island  has  trimmed  his  sail  and 
1* 


10  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

reached  the  promontories  which  formed  his'lirst  perspective,  the 
river,  now  reduced  to  a  gun-shot  in  width,  again  opens  to  his  view 
a  succession  of  little  bays,  intercepted  by  more  frequent  headlands 
and  branching  off  into  sinuous  creeks  that  lose  themselves  in  the 
hills.  Here  and  there,  amougst  these  creeks,  a  slender  beach  of 
white  sand  separates  from  its  parent  flood  a  pool,  which  reposes 
like  a  mirror  in  the  deep  forest :  and  all  around,  high  hills  sweep 
down  upon  these  placid  lakes,  and  disclose  half-embowered  cot- 
tages, whose  hoary  roofs  and  antique  forms  turn  the  musings 
of  the  spectator  to  the  palmy  days  of  the  Lord  Proprietary. 

A  more  enchanting  landscape  than  St.  Mary's  river, — a  lovelier 
assemblage  of  grassy  bank  and  hoary  grove,  upland  slope,  cliff,  cot 
and  strand,  of  tangled  brake  and  narrow  bay,  broad,  seaward 
roadstead  and  air-suspended  cape,  may  not  be  found  beneath  the 
yearly  travel  of  the  sun  ! 

The  ancient  city  was  situated  nearly  two  miles  beyond  the 
confluence  of  St.  Inigoe's  creek,  upon  a  spacious  level  plain  which 
maintained  an  elevation  of  some  fifty  feet  above  the  river.  The 
low-browed,  double-roofed  and  cumbrous  habitations  of  the  towns- 
people were  scattered  at  random  over  this  plain,  forming  snug  and 
pleasant  groups  for  a  painter's  eye,  and  deriving  an  air  of  compe- 
tence and  comfort  from  the  gardens  and  bowers  in  which  they  were 
sheltered.  The  State  House  stood  at  the  upper  extremity  of  the 
town,  upon  a  cedar-clad  headland  which,  by  an  abrupt  descent, 
terminated  in  a  long,  flat,  sandy  point,  that  reached  almost  half 
across  the  river.  In  regard  to  this  building,  tradition — which  I 
find  to  be  somewhat  inclined  to  brag  of  its  glory — affirms  it 
to  have  been  constructed  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  looking  towards 
the  river,  with  walls  thick  enough  to  resist  cannon,  and  perilous 
steep  roofs,  from  the  top  of  the  chief  of  which  shot  up  a  spire, 
whereon  was  impaled  a  dolphin  with  a  crooked,  bifurcated  tail. 
A  wooden  quay  and  warehouse  on  the  point  showed  this  to  be  the 


ROE     OF    THE     BOWL.  11 

seat  of  trade,  aiicl  a  cresceut-shaped  bay  or  indentation  between 
this  and  a  similar  headland  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the  town, 
constituted  the  anchorage  or  harbor  for  the  scant  shipping 
of  the  port. 

The  State  House  looked  rearward  over  the  town  common, — a 
large  space  of  open  ground,  at  the  farther  end  of  which,  upon  the 
border  of  a  marshy  inlet,  covered  with  bulrushes  and  cat-tails, 
stood  a  squat,  sturdy  and  tight  little  jail,  supported — to  use  the 
military  phrase — on  one  flank  by  a  pillory  and  stocks,  and  on  the 
other  by  an  implement  of  government  which  has  gone  out  of 
fashion  in  our  day,  but  which  found  favor  with  our  ancestors  as  an 
approved  antidote  to  the  prevalent  distemper  of  an  unnecessary 
or  too  clamorous  loquacity  in  their  dames — a  ducking  stool,  that 
hung  suspended  over  a  pool  of  sufficient  depth  for  the  most  obsti- 
nate case  that  might  occur. 

Without  wearying  my  reader  with  too  much  description,  I 
shall  content  myself  with  referring  to  but  two  or  three  additional 
particulars  as  necessary  to  my  future  purpose  :  a  Catholic  chapel 
devoted  to  St.  Ignatius^  the  patron  of  the  proviuce,  in  humble  and 
unostentatious  guise,  occupied,  with  its  appurtenances,  a  few  acres 
in  the  centre  of  the  plain,  a  short  distance  from  that  confine  of  the 
city  which  lay  nearest  to  St.  Inigoe's  ;  and  in  the  opposite  quarter, 
not  far  from  the  State  House,  a  building  of  much  more  pretension, 
though  by  no  means  so  neat,  had  been  erected  for  the  service  of 
the  Church  of  England,  which  was  then  fast  growing  into  the 
ascendant.  On  one  of  the  streets  leading  to  the  beach  was  the 
market-house,  surrounded  by  its  ordinaries  and  ale-houses  :  and 
lastly,  in  the  year  1681,  to„whjch  this  description  refers^  a  little 
hostelry  of  famous  report,  known  by  the  sign  of  "  The  Crow  and 
Archer,"  and  kept  by  Master  Garret  Weasel,  stood  on  the  water's 
edge,  at  the  foot  of  the  bank  below  the  State  House,  on  a  piece 
of  level  ground  looking  put  upon  the  harbor,  where  the  traveller 


12  ROB     OF    THE     i  0  "W  L. 

may  still  find  a  luxuriant  wilderness  of  pear  trees,  the  scions  of  a 
notable  ancestor  which,  tradition  says,  the  aforesaid  Garret  planted 
with  his  own  hand. 

The  country  around  St.  Mary's  bore,  at  the  period  I  have 
designated,  the  same  broad  traces  of  settlement  and  cultivation 
which  belong  to  it  at  the  present  day.  For  many  miles  the  scene 
was  one  of  varied  field  and  forest,  studded  over  with  dwellings 
and  farm- yards.  The  settlement  had  extended  across  the  neck 
of  land  to  the  Chesapeake,  and  along  both  shores  of  St.  Mary's 
river  to  the  Potomac.  This  open  country  was  diversified  by 
woodland,,  and  enlivened  everywhere  by  the  expanse  of  navi- 
gable water  which  reflected  sun  and  sky,  grove  and  field  and 
lowly  cot', age  in  a  thousand  beautiful  lights.  Indeed,  all  the 
maritime  border  of  the  province,  comprehending  Calvert,  St. 
Mary's  and  Charles,  as  well  as  the  counties  on  the  opposite  shore 
of  the  Chesapeake,  might  be  said,  at  this  date,  to  be  in  a  condi- 
tion of  secure  and  prosperous  habitation.  The  great  ocean 
forest  had  receded  some  hundred  miles  westward  from  St. 
Mary's.  The  region  of  country  comprising  the  present  county 
of  Anne  Arundel,  as  well  as  Cecil  and  the  Isle  of  Kent,  was  a 
frontier  already  settled  with  numerous  tenants  of  the  Lord  Pro- 
prietary. All  westward  from  this  was  the  birthright  of  the 
stern  Sasquesahannoch,  the  fierce  Shenandoah,  and  their  kindred 
men  of  the  woods. 

They  are  gone  !  Like  shadows  have  these  men  of  might 
sunk  on  the  earth.  They,  their  game,  their  wigwams,  their 
monuments,  their  primeval  forests,— yea,  even  their  graves,  have 
flitted  away  in  this  spectral  flight.  Saxon  and  Norman,  bluff 
Briton  and  heavy  Suabian  inherit  the  land.  And  in  its  turn, 
well-a-day  !  our  pragmatical  little  city  hath  departed.  Not  all 
its  infant  glory,  nor  its  manhood's  bustle,  its  walls,  gardens  and 
bowers, — its    warm    housekeeping,  its   gossiping    burghers,  its 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  13 

politics  and  its  factions, — not  even  its  prolific  dames  and 
gamesome  urchins  could  keep  it  in  the  upper  air  until  this  our 
day.  Alas,  for  the  vaulting  pride  of  the  village,  the  vain  glory 
of  the  city,  and  the  metropolitan  boast  !  St.  Mary's  hath  sunk 
to  the  level  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  Balbec  and  Palmyra  !  She  hath 
become  trackless,  tokenless. 

I  have  wandered  over  the  blank  field  where  she  sank  down 
to  rest.  It  was  a  book  whose  characters  I  could  scarce  decipher. 
I  asked  for  relics  of  the  departed.  The  winter  evening  tale 
told  by  father  to  son,  and  the  written  legend,  more  durable  than 
monument  of  marble,  have  survived  to  answer  my  question,  when 
brick  and  tile,  hearth  and  tomb  have  all  vanished  from  the  quest 
of  the  traveller. 

What  I  have  gathered  from  these  researches  will  occupy  my 
reader  through  the  following  pages. 


CHAPTER  II. 


A  train-band  captain  eke  was  he. 

John  Gilpin. 


At  the  extremity  of  the  cape  or  headland  which  formed  the 
lower  or  more  seaward  point  of  the  crescent-shaped  harbor, 
was  erected  the  Fort  of  St.  Mary's,  where  it  threatened  equal 
defiance  to  such  as  might  meditate  disturbance  by  sea  or  by 
land.  A  few  hundred  paces  in  the  rear  of  the  fort,  stood  the 
ample  dwelling-house  of  the  Lord  Proprietary  with  its  gables, 
roofs,  chimneys  and  spires,  sharply  defined  against  the  eastern 
sky.  A  massive  building  of  dark  brick,  two  stories  in  height, 
and  penetrated  by  narrow  windows,  looking  forth,  beyond  the 
fort,  upon  the  river,  constituted  the  chief  member  or  main  body 
of  the  mansion.  This  was  capped  by  a  wooden,  balustraded 
parapet,  terminating,  at  each  extremity,  in  a  scroll,  and,  in  the 
middle,  sasiaining  an  entablature  that  rose  to  a  summit  on  which 
was  mounted  a  weathercock.  From  this  central  structure,  right 
and  left,  a  series  of  arcades  and  corridors  served  to  bring  into 
line  a  range  of  subordinate  buildings  of  grotesque  shapes,  of 
which  several  were  bonneted  like  haycocks — the  array  terminat- 
ing, on  one  flank,  in  a  private  chapel  surmounted  by  a  cross,  and, 
on  the  other,  in  a  building  of  similar  size  but  of  different  figure, 
which  was  designed  and  sometimes  used  for  a  banqueting  room. 
The  impression  produced  on  the  observer,  by  this  orderly  though 
uot  uniform  mass  of  building,  with  its  various  offices  for  house- 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  15 

hold  comfort,  was  not  displeasing-  to  his  sense  of  rural  beauty, 
nor,  from  its  ample  range  and  capacious  accommodation,  did  it 
fail  to  enhance  his  opinion  of  the  stateliness  and  feudal  im- 
portance, as  well  as  of  the  hospitality  of  the  Lord  Proprietary. 
The  armorial  bearings  of  the  Baltimore  family,  emblazoned  on  a 
shield  of  free-stone,  were  built  into  the  pediment  of  an  arched 
brick  porch  which  shaded  the  great  hall  door.  In  the  rear  of 
the  buildings,  a  circular  sweep  of  wall  and  paling  reached  as  far 
as  a  group  of  stables,  kennels  and  sheds.  Vanward  the  same 
kind  of  enclosures,  more  ornate  in  their  fashion,  shut  in  a  grassy 
court,  to  which  admission  was  gained  through  a  heavy  iron  gate 
swung  between  square,  stuccoed  pillars,  each  of  which  was 
surmounted  by  a  couchant  lion  carved  in  stone.  Ancient  trees 
shaded  the  whole  mass  of  dwelling-house,  court  and  stable,  and 
gave  to  the  place  both  a  lordly  and  comfortable  aspect.  It  was 
a  pleasant  group  of  roof  and  bower,  of  spire  and  tree  to  look 
upon  from  the  city,  towards  sunset,  when  every  window-pane 
flung  back  the  lustre  of  a  conflagration  ;  and  magnificently  did 
it  strike  upon  the  eye  of  the  liegemen  as  they  sat  at  their  doors, 
at  that  hour,  gazing  upon  the  glorious  river  and  its  tranquil 
banks.  Nor  less  pleasant  was  it  to  the  inmates  of  the  baronial 
mansion  to  look  back  upon  the  fair  vilhige-city,  studding  the 
level  plain  with  its  scattered  dwellings  which  seemed  to  sleep 
noon  the  grassy  and  shaded  sward. 

A  garden  occupied  the  space  between  the  proprietary  resi- 
dence and  the  fort,  and  through  it  a  pathway  led  to  a  dry  moat 
which  formed  one  of  the  defences  of  the  stronghold,  into  which 
admission  was  obtained  from  this  quarter  by  a  narrow  bridge  and 
postern  gate.  A  palisade  of  sharp  pickets  fringed  the  outer  and 
inner  slopes  of  the  ditch, — or,  to  speak  more  technically,  guarded 
the  scarp  and  counterscarp.  The  fort  itself  sat  like  a  square 
bonnet  on  the  brow  of  the  headland.     Its  ramparts  of  earth  were 


16  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

faced  outwardly  by  heavy  framework  of  hewn  logs,  which,  on 
the  side  looking  askant  towards  the  town,  were  penetrated  by  an 
arched  gateway  and  secured  by  heavy  doors  studded  thick  with 
nails.  This  portal  opened  upon  a  road  which  lay  along  the 
beach  beneath  the  cliff,  all  the  way  to  the  upper  extremity  of  the 
town.  Several  low  buildings  within,  appropriated  to  barracks 
and  magazines,  just  peered  above  the  ramparts.  A  few  pieces 
of  brass  cannon  showed  like  watch-dogs  against  the  horizon,  and, 
high  above  all,  fluttered  the  provincial  banner  bearing  the  cross 
of  England,  and  holding  the  relation  of  a  feather  to  the  squat 
bonnet  which  the  outline  of  the  work  might  suggest  to  one 
curious  to  trace  resemblances. 

The  province,  it  may  be  surmised,  was  belligerent  at  this  day. 
For  although  the  Lords  Barons  of  Baltimore,  absolute  Pro- 
prietaries of  Maryland  and  Avalon,  would  fain  have  encouraged 
a  pacific  temper,  and  desired  ever  to  treat  with  the  Indians  upon 
terms  of  friendly  bargain  and  sale,  and  in  all  points  of  policy 
manifested  an  equitable  disposition  towards  the  native  men  of 
the  forest,  the  province,  nevertheless,  had  its  full  share  of  hard 
blows.  There  was  seldom  a  period,  in  this  early  time,  when  some 
Indian  quarrel  was  not  coming  to  a  head  ;  and,  young  as  the 
province  was,  it  had  already  tasted  of  rebellion  at  the  hands  of 
Clayborne,  and  Ingle, — to  say  nothing  of  that  Fendall  who  was 
fain  to  play  Cromwell  in  the  plantation,  by  turning  the  burgesses 
out  of  their  hall,  and  whose  sedition  hath  still  something  to  do 
with  my  story. — However  peaceable,  therefore,  the  Lord  Pro- 
prietary might  incline  to  be,  he  could  not  but  choose  stand  by 
his  weapons. 

In  the  view  of  these  and  kindred  troubles,  the  freemen  of  the 
province  had  no  light  service  in  their  obligations  of  military  duty. 
One  of  the  forms  in  which  this  service  was  exacted,  in  addition 
to  the  occasional  requisition,  on  emergency,  of  the  whole  popula- 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  11 

tion  fit  to  bear  arms,  and  in  addition  also  to.  a  force  of  mounted 
rangers  who  were  constantly  engaged  in  scouring  the  frontier 
was  in  the  maintenance  of  a  regularly  paid  and  trained  body  of 
musketeers  who  supplied  the  necessary  garrisons  for  the  prin- 
cipal forts.  That  of  St.  Mary's,  which  was*  the  oldest  and  most 
redoubtable  stronghold  in  the  province,  was  furnished  with  a 
company  of  forty  men  of  this  class  who  were,  at  the  date  of  this 
tale,  under  the  command  of  a  personage  of  some  note,  Captain 
Jasper  Dauntrees,  to  whom  I  propose  to  introduce  my  reader 
with  something  more  than  the  slight  commendation  of  a  casual 
acquaintance. 

This  worthy  had  been  bred  up  to  the  science  of  arms  from 
early  youth,  and  had  seen  many  varieties  of  service, — first,  in  the 
civil  wars  in  which  he  took  the  field  with  the  royal  army,  a 
staunch  cavalier, — and  afterwards,  with  a  more  doubtful  com- 
plexion of  loyalty,  when  he  enlisted  with  Monk  in  Scotland,  and 
followed  his  banner  to  London  in  the  notable  exploit  of  the  Res- 
toration. Yielding  to  the  bent  of  that  humor  which  the  times 
engendered,  and  in  imitation  of  many  a  hungry  and  peace- 
despising  gallant  of  his  day,  he  repaired  to  the  continent,  where, 
after  various  fortunes,  he  found  himself  in  the  train  of  Turenne 
and  hard  at  loggerheads  with  the  Prince  of  Orange,  in  which 
passage  of  his  life  he  enjoyed  the  soldierly  gratification  of  lending 
a  hand  to  the  famous  ravage  of  the  Palatinate. 

Some  few  years  before  I  have  presented  him  in  these  pages  he 
had  come  over  to  Maryland,  with  a  party  of  Flemings,  to  gather 
for  his  old  age  that  harvest  of  wealth  and  ease  which  the  com- 
mon report  promised  to  all  who  set  foot  upon  the  golden  shores 
of  the  Indies — Maryland,  in  vulgar  belief,  being  a  part  of  this 
land  of  wonders.  The  captain  neither  stumbled  upon  a  gold 
mine,  nor  picked  up  an  Indian  princess  with  a  dowry  of  diamonds  ; 
but  he  fared  scarce  worse,  in  his  own  estimation,  when  he  found 


18  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

himself,  in  a  pleasant  sunny  clime,  invested  with  the  rank  of 
captain  of  musketeers,  with  a  snug  shelter  in  the  fort,  a  reason- 
ably fair  and  punctually  disbursed  allowance  of  pay — much  better, 
than  had  been  his  lot  under  former  masters, — and  a  frank  wel- 
come at  all  times  ftito  the  mansion  of  the  Lord  Proprietary. 
Acid  to  these,  the  delights  more  congenial  to  the  training  of  his 
past  life,  a  few  wet  companions,  namely,  to  help  him  through  an 
evening  potation,  and  no  despicable  choice  of  wines  and  other 
comforts  at  the  Crow  and  Archer,  where  the  Captain  became  a 
domesticated  and  privileged  guest,  and  it  may  still  better  be  com- 
prehended how  little  he  was  likely  to  repine  at  his  fortune. 

His  figure  had,  in  youth,  been  evidently  remarked  for  strength 
and  symmetry — but  age  and  varied  service,  combined  with  habits 
of  irregular  indulgence,  had  communicated  to  it  a  bluff  and 
corpulent  dimension.  His  port  nevertheless  was  erect,  and  his 
step  as  firm  as  in  his  days  of  lustihood.  His  eye  still  sparkled 
with  rays  but  little  quenched  by  time,  although  unseasonable 
vigils  sometimes  rendered  it  bloodshotten.  A  thick  neck  and 
rosy  complexion  betokened  a  hale  constitution  ;  and  the  ripple 
of  a  deep  and  constantly  welling  humor,  that  played  upon  his 
strongly  marked  features,  expressed  in  characters  that  could  not 
be  misread,  that  love  of  companionship  which  had  been,  perhaps, 
the  most  frequent  shoal  upon  which  his  hopes  in  life  had  been 
stranded.  His  crown  was  bald  and  encircled  by  a  fair  supply  of 
crisp,  curly,  and  silvery  hair,  whilst  a  thick  gray  moustache  gave 
a  martial  and  veteran  air  to  his  visnomy. 

His  dress  served  to  set  off  his  figure  to  the  best  advantage. 
It  consisted  of  the  doublet  and  ruff,  short  cloak  and  trunk  hose, 
the  party-colored  stocking  and  capacious  boot  proper  to  the  old 
English  costume  which,  about  the  period  of  the  Restoration, 
began  to  give  way  to  the  cumbrous  foppery  of  the  last  century. 
This  costume  was  still  retained  by  many  in  the  province,  and 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  19 

belonged  to  the  military  equipment  of  the  garrison  of  St.  Mary's, 
where  it  was  fashioned  of  light  green  cloth  garnished  with  yellow 
lace. 

Arrayed  in  this  guise,  Captain  Dauntrees  had  some  excuse 
for  a  small  share  of  vanity  on  the  score  of  having  worn  well  up 
to  a  green  old  age  ;  and  it  was  manifest  that  he  sought  to 
improve  this  impression  by  the  debonair  freedom  with  which  he 
wore  a  drab  beaver,  with  its  broad  flap  looped  up  on  one  side, 
leaving  his  ample  brow  bared  to  wind  and  weather. 

This  combination  of  the  martinet  and  free  companion  exhibited 
in  the  dress  of  the  Captain,  was  a  pretty  intelligible  index  to  his 
character,  which  disclosed  a  compound,  not  unfrequent  in  the 
civil  wars  of  that  period,  of  the  precisian  and  ruffler— the  cavalier 
and  economist.  In  the  affairs  of  life — a  phrase  which,  in  regai'd 
to  him,  meant  such  matters  principally  and  before  all  others,  as 
related  to  his  own  comfort — he  was  worldly-wise,  sagaciously 
provident,  as  an  old  soldier,  of  whatever  advantages  his  condition 
might  casually  supply  ;  in  words,  he  was,  indifferently,  according 
to  the  occasion,  a  moralist  or  hot-brained  reveller — sometimes 
affecting  the  courtier  along  with  the  martialist,  and  mixing  up 
the  saws  of  peaceful  thrift  with  the  patter  of  the  campaigns. 

As  the  occasions  of  my  story  may  enable  me  to  illustrate 
some  of  these  points  in  the  character  of  the  worthy  Captain,  I 
will  not  forestall  the  opinion  of  my  readers,  regarding  him,  by 
further  remark,  preferring  that  he  should  speak  for  himself, 
rather  than  leave  his  merits  to  be  certified  by  so  unpractised  an 
adept,  as  I  confess  myself  to  be,  in  unriddling  the  secret  proper- 
ties of  a  person  so  deserving  to  be  known. 


CHAPTER  III. 


"  In  every  creed, 
"Tis  on  all  bands  agreed. 
And  plainly  confest, 
When  the  weather  is  hot, 
That  we  stick  to  the  pot 
And  drink  of  the  best." 

Old  Sons. 


"  Of  all  seasons  of  the  year,  autumn  is  the  most  voluptuous, 
and  October  the  loveliest  of  months.  Then  may  a  man  sit  at  his 
door — in  the  sun  if  he  choose,  for  he  will  not  find  it  too  hot — or 
in  the  shade,  if  it  liketh  him,  for  neither  will  he  find  this  too 
cool,  and  there  hold  converse  with  his  own  meditations  :  or  he 
may  ride  or  walk,  dance  or  sing,  for  in  this  October  time  a  man 
hath  heart  for  any  pastime,  so  rich  is  the  air,  and  such  pleasant 
imaginations  doth  it  engender.  And  if  he  be  poetical,  therein 
will  he  be  greatly  favored  ;  for  surely  never  Nature  puts  on  such 
gaudy  attire,  on  earth  or  sky,  as '  she  wears  in  our  October. 
The  morning  haze,  which  the  hoar-frost  flings  up  to  meet  the 
sun,  hangs  across  the  landscape  as  if  made  on  purpose  to  enchant 
the  painter  ;  and  the  evening  sunset  lights  up  the  heavens  with 
a  glory  that  shall  put  that  painter — eVen  Claude  or  Salvator — 
to  shame  at  the  inadequacy  of  his  art.  And  then  the  woods  1 
what  pallet  hath  colors  for  the  forest  ?  Of  all  the  months  of  the 
year,  commend  me  to  October  !" 

Some  such  rhapsody  as  this  was  running  through  the  thoughts, 
and  breaking  forth  in  slight  mutterings  from  the  lips  of  the 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  21 

Captain  of  Musketeers,  on  an  afternoon  in  this  much  lauded 
month  of  October,  in  the  year  I  have  alluded  to  in  a  former 
chapter,  as  he  sat  in  front  of  his  quarters  in  the  fort.  A  small 
table  was  displayed  on  the  pavement;  supplied  with  a  flagon, 
pipes,  and  drinking  cups.  The  Captain's  solid  bulk  was  deposited 
in  a  broad  arm-chair,  close  by  the  table.  His  sword  and  cloak 
lay  upon  a  bench  at  the  door,  and  a  light  breeze  flickered  amongst 
his  short  and  hoary  locks,  where  they  escaped  from  the  cover  of 
a  cloth  bonnet  which  he  had  now  substituted  for  his  beaver.  A 
sentinel  stood  on  post  at  the  gate,  towards  which  the  Captain, 
as  he  slowly  quaffed  a  cup,  ever  and  anon  turned  an  expectant 
eye.  Once  or  twice  he  rose  from  his  seat  and  strode  backward 
and  forward  across  the  parade,  then  visited  the  rampart,  which 
afforded  him  a  view  of  the  road  leading  from  the  town,  and 
finally  resumed  his  seat  and  renewed  his  solitary  and  slow  po- 
tation. 

When  the  sun  had  sunk  halfway  down  the  flag-staff,  the 
Captain's  wishes  were  crowned  by  the  arrival  of  a  brace  of 
visitors. 

The  first  of  these  was  Garret  Weasel,  the  publican,  a  thin, 
small  man,  in  a  suit  of  gray  ;  of  a  timid  carriage  and  slender 
voice.  He  might  have  been  observed  for  a  restless,  undefinable 
eye,  which  seemed  to  possess  the  habitual  circumspection  of  a 
tapster  to  see  the  need  of  a  customer  ;  and  this  expression  was 
sustained  by  a  rabbit-like  celerity  of  motion  which  raised  the 
opinion  of  his  timidity.  There  was  an  air  of  assentation  and 
reverence  in  his  demeanor,  which,  perhaps,  grew  out  of  the 
domestic  discipline  of  his  spouse,  a  buxom  dame  with  the  heart 
of  a  lioness.  She  had  trained  Master  Garret  to  her  hand,  where 
he  might  have  worn  out  his  clays  in  implicit  obedience,  had  it 
;iot  luckily  fallen  out  for  him  that  Captain  Dauntrees  had  settled 
himself  down  in  this  corner  of  the  New  World.     The  Captain 


22  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

being  a  regular  trafficker  in  the  commodities  of  the  Crow  and 
Archer,  and  no  whit  over-awed  by  the  supremacy  of  mine  hostess, 
soon  set  himself  about  seducing  her  worse-half  from  his  allegiance, 
so  far  as  was  necessary,  at  least,  to  satisfy  his  own  cravings  for 
company  at  the  fort.  He  therefore  freely  made  himself  the 
scapegoat  of  Garret's  delinquencies,  confiding  in  the  wheedling 
power  of  his  tongue  to  pacify  the  dame.  With  all  the  tapster's 
humility  and  meekness,  he  still  followed  the  Captain  through  his 
irregularities  with  the  adhesiveness  and  submission  of  a  dog — 
carousing  on  occasion  like  a  man  of  stouter  mould,  and  imitating 
the  reveller-tone  of  his  companion  with  an  ambitious  though  not 
always  successful  zeal.  He  did  not  naturally  lack  merriment ; 
but  it  was  not  of  the  boisterous  stamp  :  there  was,  at  his  worst 
outbreak,  a  glimmering  of  deference  and  respect,  rising  up  to  a 
rickety  laugh,  and  a  song  sometimes,  yet  without  violent  clamor; 
and  the  salt  tears  were  often  wrung  from  his  eyes  by  the  pent-up 
laughter  which  his  vocation  and  his  subordinate  temper  had 
taught  him  it  was  unseemly  to  discharge  in  a  volley. 

His  companion  was  a  tall,  sinewy,  and  grave  person,  habited 
in  the  guise  of  a  forester — a  cap,  namely,  of  undressed  deer  skin, 
a  buff  jerkin,  guarded  by  a  broad  belt  and  buckle  at  the  waist, 
and  leggings  of  brown  leather.  This  was  a  Fleming,  named 
Arnold  de  la  Grange,  who  belonged  to  the  corps  of  wood  rangers 
in  the  service  of  the  Lord  Proprietary.  He  had  arrived  in  the 
province  in  the  time  of  Lord  Cecilius,  many  years  before,  and  had 
shared  much  of  the  toil  of  the  early  settlement.  His  weather- 
beaten  and  gaunt  form,  tawny  cheek,  and  grizzled  hair,  bespoke 
a  man  inured  to  the  hard  service  of  a  frontier  life,  whilst  his 
erect  port  and  firm  step  evinced  that  natural  gracefulness  which 
belongs  to  men  trained  to  the  self-dependence  necessary  to  breast 
the  ever-surrounding  perils  of  such  a  service.  He  was  a  man  of 
few  words,  and  these  were  delivered  in  a  Low  Dutch  accent, 


EOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  23 

which  his  long  intercourse  with  the  English  had  failed  to  correct. 
When  his  service  on  his  range  was  intermitted,  Arnold  found 
quarters  amongst  the  retainers  of  the  Proprietary  mansion,  and 
the  Proprietary  himself  manifested  towards  the  forester  that 
degree  of  trust,  and  even  affection,  which  resulted  from  a  high 
sense  of  his  fidelity  and  conduct,  and  which  gave  him  a  position 
of  more  privilege  than  was  enjoyed  by  the  other  dependents  of 
the  establishment.  Being,  at  these  intervals,  an  idler,  he  was 
looked  upon  with  favor  by  the  Captain  of  the  fort,  who  was  not 
slow  to  profit  by  the  society  of  such  a  veteran  in  the  long  watches 
of  a  dull  afternoon.  By  a  customary  consequence,  Arnold  was 
no  less  esteemed  by  the  publican. 

A  bluff  greeting  and  short  ceremony  placed  the  visitors  at 
the  table,  and  each,  upon  a  mute  signal  from  the  host,  appro- 
priated his  cup  and  pipe. 

"  You  are  never  a  true  man,  Garret  Weasel,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain, "  to  dally  so  long  behind  your  appointment  ;  and  such 
an  appointment,  too  !  The  round  dozen  which  you  lost  to  me  on 
Dame  Dorothy's  head  gear — a  blessing  on  it! — you  did  yourself- 
so  order  it,  was  to  be  broached  at  three  o'clock  ;  and  now  it 
is  something  past  four.  There  is  culpable  lacbes  in  it.  Idleness 
is  the  canker  of  the  spirit,  but  occupation  is  the  lard  of  the  body, 
as  I  may  affirm  in  my  own  person.  Mistress  Dorothy,  I  sus- 
pect, has  this  tardy  coming  to  answer  for.  I  doubt  the  brow 
of  our  brave  dame  has  been  cloudy  this  afternoon.  How  is  it, 
Arnold  ?  bachelor,  and  Dutchman  to  boot,  you  will  speak  with- 
out fear." 

"The  woman,"  replied.  Arnold,  in  a  broken  English  accent, 
which  I  do  not  attempt  to  convey  in  syllables,  "  had  her  sus- 
picions." 

"  Hold,  Captain  Dauntrees,"  eagerly  interrupted  the  innkeep- 
er, drawing  up  his  chair  to  the  table — for  he  had  seated  himself 


24  BOB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

a  full  arm's-length  off,  in  awkward  deference  to  his  host  ;  "  and 
Master  Arnold  !  my  wife  rules  not  me,  as  some  evil-minded  jestera 
report  •  no,  in  faith  !  We  were  much  beset  to-day.  I  could  not 
come  sooner.  Customers,  you  know,  Captain,  better  than  most 
men,  customers  must  be  answered,  and  will  be  answered,  when 
we  poor  servants  go  athirst.  We  were  thronged  to-day  ;  was 
it  not  so,  Arnold  ?" 

"That  is  true,"  replied  the  forester';  "the  wife  had  her  hands 
full  as  well  as  Garret  himself.  There  were  traders  in  the  port, 
to-day,  from  the  Bay  Shore  and  the  Isle  of  Kent,  and  some  from 
the  country  back,  to  hear  whether  the  brigantine  had  arrived. 
They  had  got  some  story  that  Cocklescraft  should  be  here." 

"  I  see  it,"  said  Dauntrees  ;  "  that  fellow,  Cocklescraft,  has  a 
trick  of  warning  his  friends.  He  never  comes  into  port  but  there 
be  strange  rumors  of  him  ahead  ;  it  seems  to  be  told  by  the  prick- 
ing of  thumbs.  St.  Mary's  is  not  the  first  harbor  where  he  drops 
his  anchor,  nor  Anthony  Warden  the  first  to  docket  his  cargo. 
You  understand  me." 

"  You  have  a  bold  mind,  Captain,"  said  the  publican  ;  "}'ou 
men  of  the  wars  speak  your  thoughts." 

"You  are  none  the  losers  by  Master  Cocklescraft,"  interposed 
Arnold,  drily. 

"  My  wife  pays  honestly  for  the  liquors,"  said  Weasel,  as  his 
eye  glanced  timorously  from  one  to  the  other  of  his  comrades  ; 
"  I  take  no  heed  of  the  accounts." 

"  But  the  head  gpar,  Garret,"  rejoined  Dauntrees,  laughing  ; 
"  you  pay  for  that,  though  the  mercer  saw  my  coin  for  it.  Twelve 
bottles  of  Canary  were  a  good  return  on  that  venture.  The 
bauble  sits  lightly  on  the  head  of  the  dame,  and  it  is  but  fair 
that  the  winnings  should  rise  as  lightly  into  ours.  But  for  Cock- 
lescraft, we  should  lack  these  means  to  be  merry.  The  customs 
are  at  a  discount  on  a  dark  night.     Well,  be  it  so.     What  point 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  25 

of  duty  calls  on  us  to  baulk  the  skipper  in  his  trade  ?  We  are 
of  the  land,  not  of  the  water  ;  consumers,  on  the  disbursing  side 
of  the  account,  not  of  the  gathering  in.  The  revenue  has  its 
own  friends,  and  we  should  neither  meddle  nor  make.  Worthy 
Garret  Weasel  has  good  report  in  the  province  for  the  reason- 
ableness of  his  wines — and  long  may  he  deserve  that  commenda- 
tion !" 

"I  thank  heaven  that  I  strive  to  merit  the  good  will  of  the 
freemen,"  interrupted  the  innkeeper. 

"  And  he  is  something  given  to  brag  of  his  wines.  Faith, 
and  with  reason  !  Spain  and  Portugal,  the  Garonne  and  the 
Rhine,  are  his  tributaries.  Garret,  we  know  the  meridian  of 
your  El  Dorado." 

"  Nay,  nay,  Master  Captain — your  worship  is  merry  ;  I  be- 
seech you — " 

"Never  mind  your  beseeching,  my  modest  friend.  You 
scarce  do  yourself  justice.  You  have  his  Lordship's  license  paid 
for  in  good  round  ducatoons — and  that's  the  fee  of  a  clear  con- 
science. So  let  the  trade  thrive  !  The  exchequer  is  not  a  baby 
to  be  in  swaddling  bands,  unable  to  feed  itself.  No,  it  has  the 
eagle's  claw,  and  wants  no  help  from  thee,  thou  forlorn  tapster  ! 
Make  thine  honest  penny,  Garret ;  all  thirsty  fellows  will  stand 
by  you." 

"I  would  be  thought  orderly,  Master  Dauntrees." 

"  You  are  so  computed — to  a  fault.  You  would  have  been 
so  reckoned  in  Lord  Cecil's  time  ;  and  matters  are  less  straitened 
now-a-days.  Lord  Charles  gives  more  play  to  good  living  than 
his  father  allowed  of.  You  remember  his  Lordship's  father  set 
his  face  against  wines  and  strong  waters." 

"  He  did,  gentlemen,"  said  Weasel,  squaring  himself  in  his 
seat  with  animation.  "  Heaven  forbid  I  should  speak  but  as 
becomes  me  of  the  honorable  Lord  Cecil's  memory,  or  of  his 
2 


26  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

honorable  son  1  but  to  my  cost,  I  know  that  his  Lordship's  father 
was  no  friend  to  evil  courses,  or  sottish  behavior,  or  drinking, 
unless  it  was  in  moderation,  mark  you.  But,  with  humility,  I 
protest  the  law  is  something  hard  on  us  poor  ordinary  keepers  : 
for  you  shall  understand,  Arnold  Grange,  that  at  a  sale  by  out- 
cry, if  there  should  lack  wherewithal  to  pay  the  debts  of  the 
debtor,  the  publican  and  vintner  are  shut  out,  seeing  that  the 
score  for  wines  and  strong  waters  is  the  last  to  be  paid." 

"  And  good  law  it  is,  let  me  tell  you,  Garret  Weasel !  Good 
and  wholesome  :  wisely  laid  down  by  the  burgesses,  and  wisely 
maintained  by  his  Lordship.  You  rail  without  cause.  Sober 
habits  must  be  engendered  : — your  health,  comrades  !  Then  it 
behooves  you  publicans  to  be  nice  in  your  custom.  We  will  none 
oi  your  lurdans  that  cannot  pay  scot  and  lot — your  runagates 
that  fall  under  the  statute  of  outcry.  Let  them  drink  of  the 
clear  brook  !  There  is  wisdom  and  virtue  iu  the  law.  Is  it  not 
so,  Arnold  ?" 

"  It  preaches  well,"  replied  the  forester,  as  he  sent  forth  a 
volume  of  smoke  from  his  lips. 

"  Another  flask,  and  we  will  drink  to  his  Lordship,"  said 
Dauntrees,  who  now  left  the  table  and  returned  with  the  fourth 
bottle.  "  Fill  up,  friends  ;  the  evening  wears  apace.  Here's  to 
his  Lordship,  and  his  Lordship's  ancestors  of  ever  noble  and 
happy  memory  !" 

As  Dauntrees  smacked  his  lips  upon  emptying  his  cup,  he 
flung  himself  back  in  his  chair,  and  in  a  thoughtful  tone  ejacu- 
lated :  "  The  good  Lord  Charles  has  had  a  heavy  time  of  it  since 
his  return  from  England  ;  these  church  brawlers  would  lay  gun- 
powder under  our  hearth-stones.  And  then  the  death  of  young 
Lord  Cecil,  whilst  his  father  was  abroad,  too  ;  it  was  a  heavy 
blow.     My  lady  has  never  held  up  her  head  since." 

A  pause  succeeded  to  this  grave  reflection,  during  which  the 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  21 

trio  smoked  their  pipes  in  silence,  which  was  at  length  broken  by 
an  attenuated  sigh  from  the  publican,  as  he  exclaimed,  "  Well-a- 
day  !  the  great  have  their  troubles  as  well  as  the  rest  of  us.  Ii 
is  my  opinion  that  Heaven  will  have  its  will,  Captain  ;  that's  my 
poor  judgment."  And  having  thus  disburdened  himself  of  this 
weighty  sentiment — the  weight  of  it  increased,  perhaps,  by  the 
pressure  of  his  previous  potations — he  drained  the  heel  tap,  which 
stood  in  his  glass,  and  half  whispered,  when  he  had  clone,  "That's 
as  good  a  drop  of  Canary  as  ever  grew  within  the  horizon  of  the 
Peak  of  Teneriffe." 

"  Through  the  good  will  of  friend  Cocklescraft,"  interrupted 
Dauntrees,  suddenly  resuming  his  former  gaiety. 

"  Pray  you,  Captain  Dauntrees,"  said  the  publican,  with  a 
hurried  concern,  "think  wnat  hurt  your  jest  may  bring  upon  me. 
Arnold  knows  not  your  merry  humor,  and  may  believe  from  your 
speech  that  I  am  not  reputable." 

"  Pish,  man  ;  bridle  your  foolish  tongue  !  Did  I  not  see  the 
very  cask  on't  at  Trencher  Rob's  ?  Did  I  not  mark  how  your 
sallow  cheek  took  on  an  ashen  complexion,  when  his  Lordship's  Q 
secretary,  a  fortnight  since,  suddenly  showed  himself  amongst  the  , 
cedars  upon  the  bank  that  overlooks  your  door,  when  your  ill  luck 
would  have  you  to  be  rolling  the  cask  in  open  day  into  the  cellar. 
'  The  secretary  was  in  a  bookish  mood,  and  did  not  see  you — or, 
peradventure,  was  kind,  and  would  not  heed." 

To  this  direct  testimony,  Weasel  could  only  reply  by  a  faint- 
hearted and  involuntary  smile  which  surrendered  the  point,  and 
left  him  in  a  state  of  silly  confusion. 

"Never  droop  in  courage,  worthy  Weasel,"  exclaimed  the 
Captain  ;  "  you  are  as  honest  as  your  betters  ;  and,  to  my  mind, 
the  wine  has  a  better  smack  from  its  overland  journey  from  St. 
Jerome's  when  there  was  no  sun  to  heat  it." 

"  The  secretary,"  said  the  innkeeper,  anxious  to  give  the  con- 


28  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

versation  another  direction,  "  is  a  worshipful  youth,  and  a  modest, 
and  grows  in  favor  with  the  townspeople." 

"  Ay,  and  is  much  beloved  by  his  Lordship,"  added  the  Cap- 
tain. 

"  And  comes,  I  warrant,  of  gentle  kind,  though  I  have  not 
heard  aught  of  his  country  or  friends.  Dorothy,  my  wife,  says 
that  the  women  almost  swear  by  him,  for  his  quiet  behavior  and 
pretty  words — and  they  have  eyes,  Captain  Dauntrees,  for  excel- 
lence which  we  have  not." 

"There  is  a  cloud  upon  his  birth,"  said  Dauntrees,  "and  a 
sorrowful  tale  touching  his  nurture.  I  had  it  from  Burton,  the  mas- 
ter of  the  ship  who  brought  him  with  my  Lord  to  the  province." 

"  Indeed,  Captain  Dauntrees  !  you  were  ever  quick  to  pick 
up  knowledge.     You  have  a  full  ear  and  a  good  memory." 

"Drink,  drink,  comrades!"  said  the  Captain.  "We  should 
not  go  dry  because  the  secretary  has  had  mishaps.  If  it  please 
you,  I  will  tell  the  story,  though  I  will  not  vouch  for  the  truth 
of  what  I  have  only  at  second  hand." 

After  the  listeners  had  adjusted  themselves  in  their  chairs, 
Dauntrees  proceeded. 

"  There  was,  in  Yorkshire,  a  Major  William  Weatherby,  who 
fought  against  the  Parliament — I  did  not  know  him,  for  I  was 
but  a  stripling  at  the  time — who,  when  King  Charles  was  behead- 
ed, went  over  and  took  service  with  the  States  General,  and  at 
Arnheim  married  a  lady  of  the  name  of  Yerheyden.  Getting 
tired  of  the  wars,  he  came  back  to  England  with  his  wife,  where 
they  lived  together  five  or  six  years  without  children.  The  story 
goes  that  he  was  a  man  of  fierce  and  crooked  temper  ;  choleric, 
and  unreasonable  in  his  quarrel  ;  and  for  jealousy,  no  devil  ever 
equalled  him  in  that  amiable  virtue.  It  was  said,  too,  that  his 
living  was  riotous  and  unthrifty,  which  is,  in  part,  the  customary 
sin  of  soldiership. — I  am  frank  with  you,  masters." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  29 

"  You  are  a  good  judge,  Captain  ;  you  have  had  experience," 
said  the  publican. 

"There  was  a  man  of  some  mark  in  the  country  where  this 
Weatherby  lived,  a  Sir  George  Alvvin,  who,  taking  pity  on  the 
unhappy  lady,  did  her  sundry  acts  of  kindness — harmless  acts, 
people  say  ;  such  as  you  or  I,  neighbors,  would  be  moved  to  do 
for  a  distressed  female  ;  but  the  lady  was  of  rare  beauty,  and  the 
husband  full  of  foul  fancies. 

"  About  this  time,  it  was  unlucky  that  nature  wrought  a 
change,  and  the  lady  grew  lusty  for  the  first  time  in  six  years' 
marriage.  To  make  the  story  short,  Weatherby  was  free  with  his 
dagger,  and  in  the  street,  at  Doncaster,  in  the  midst  of  a  public 
show,  he  stabbed  Alwin  to  the  heart." 

The  wood  ranger  silently  shook  his  head,  and  the  publican 
opened  his  watery  eyes  in  astonishment. 

"  By  the  au*l  of  a  fleet  horse  and  private  enemies  of  the  mur- 
dered man,  Weatherby  escaped  out  of  the  kingdom,  and  was  never 
afterwards  heard  of." 

"  And  died  like  a  dog,  I  s'pose,"  said  Arnold  de  la  Grange. 

"  Likely  enough,"  replied  Dauntrees. 

"  The  poor  lady  was  struck  down  with  the  horror  of  the  deed, 
and  had  nearly  gone  to  her  grave.  But  Heaven  was  kind  and 
she  survived  it,  and  was  relieved  of  her  burden  in  the  birth  of  a 
son.  For  some  years  afterwards,  by  the  bounty  of  friends,  but 
with  many  a  struggle — for  her  means  were  scanty — she  made  shift 
to  dwell  in  England.  At  last  she  returned  to  Holland,  where  she 
found  a  resting-place  in  her  native  earth,  having  lived  long  enough 
to  see  her  son,  a  well  grown  lad,  safely  taken  in  charge  by  her 
brother,  a  merchant  of  Antwerp.  The  parents  were  both  attached 
to  our  Church  of  Rome,  and  the  son  was  sent  by  his  uncle  to  the 
Jesuit  school  of  his  own  city.  Misfortune  overtook  the  merchant, 
and  he  died  before  the  nephew  had  reached  his  fourteenth  year. 


30  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

But  the  good  priests  of  Antwerp  tended  the  lad  with  the  care  of 
parents,  and  would  have  reared  him  as  a  servant  of  the  altar. 
When  our  Lord  Baltimore  was  in  the  Netherlands,  three  years 
ago,  he  found  Albert  Yerheyden  (the  youth  has  ever  borne  his 
mother's  name)  in  the  Seminary.  His  Lordship  took  a  liking  to 
him  and  brought  him  into  his  own  service.  Master  Albert  was 
then  but  eighteen.  There  is  the  whole  story.  It  is  as  dry  as  a 
muscat  raisin.  It  sticks  in  the  throat,  masters, — so  moisten, 
moisten  !" 

"  It  is  a  marvellous  touching  story,"  said  the  innkeeper,  as  he 
swallowed  at  a  draught  a  full  goblet. 

"  The  hot  hand  and  the  cold  steel,"  said  Arnold,  thoughtfully, 
"  hold  too  much  acquaintance  in  these  times.  Master  Albert  is 
an  honest  youth,  and  a  good  youth,  and  a  brave  follower  too,  of 
hawk  or  hound,  Captain  Dauntrees." 

"  Then  there  is  good  reason  for  a  cup  to  the  secretary,"  said 
the  Captain  filling  again.  "  The  world  hath  many  arguments  for 
a  thirsty  man.  The  blight  of  the  year  fall  upon  this  sadness  ! 
Let  us  change  our  discourse — I  would  carouse  a  little,  friends  :  it 
is  salutary  to  laugh.  Thanks  to  my  patron,  I  am  a  bachelor  !  So 
drink,  Master  Arnold,  mein  sauff  bruder,  as  we  used  to  say  on  the 
Rhine." 

"  Ich  trinck,  euch  zu,"  was  the  reply  of  the  forester,  as  he 
answered  the  challenge  with  a  sparkling  eye,  and  a  face  lit  up 
with  smiles  ;  "  a  good  lad,  an  excellent  lad,  though  he  come  of  a 
hot-brained  father." 

The  wine  began  to  show  itself  upon  the  revellers  ;  for  by  this 
time  they  had  nearly  got  through  half  of  the  complement  of  the 
wager.  The  effect  of  this  potation  upon  the  Captain  was  to  give 
him  a  more  flushed  brow,  and  a  moister  eye,  and  to  administer 
somewhat  to  the  volubility  of  his  tongue.  It  had  wrought  no 
further  harm,  for  Dauntrees  was  bottle-proof.     Upon  the  forester 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  31 

it  was  equally  harmless,  rather  enhancing  than  dissipating  his  sat- 
urnine steadfastness  of  demeanor.  He  was,  perchance,  somewhat 
more  precise  and  thoughtful.  Garret  Weasel,  of  the  three,  was 
the  only  weak  vessel.  With  every  cup  of  the  last  half  hour  he 
grew  more  supple. 

"  Ads  heartlikens  !"  he  exclaimed,  "  but  this  wine  does  tin- 
gle, Captain  Dauntrees  !     Here  is  a  fig  for  my  wife  Dorothy  1 
Come  and  go  as  you  list— none  of  your  fetch  and  carry  !  that's 
what  the  world  is  coming  to,  amongst  us  married  cattle  !" 
"Thou  art  a  valorous  tapster,"  said  the  Captain. 
"  I  am  the  man  to  stand  by  his  friend,  Captain  ;  and  I  am 
your  friend,  Captain — Papist  or  Roman  though  they  call  you  !" 
"  A  man  for  need,  Garret  !"  said  Dauntrees,  patting  him  on 
the  head  ;  "a  dozen  flasks  or  so,  when  a  friend  wants  them,  come 
without  the  asking." 

"  And  I  pay  my  wagers,  I  warrant,  Captain,  like  a  true  com- 
rade." 

"  Like  a  prince,  Garret,  who  does  not  stop  to  count  the  score, 
but  makes  sure  of  the  total  by  throwing  in  a  handful  over." 
"  I  am  no  puritan,  Master  Daunti'ees." 

"  You  have  the  port  of  a  cavalier,  good  Weasel.  You  would 
have  done  deadly  havoc  amongst  the  round-heads,  if  they  but 
took  you  in  the  fact  of  discharging  a  wager.  But  you  were  scarce 
in  debt  after  this  fashion,  at  Worcester,  my  valiant  drawer.  An 
evil  destiny  kept  you  empty  on  that  day." 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!  a  shrewd  memory  for  a  stale  jest,  Captain 
Dauntrees.  The  world  is  slanderous,  though  I  care  little  for  it. 
You  said  you  would  be  merry  ;  shall  we  not  have  a  song  ?" 

"  I  am  in  that  humor,  old  madcap,  and  will  wag  it  with  you 
bravely,"  replied  Dauntrees,  as  he  struck  up  a  brisk  drinking  glee 
of  that  day,  in  which  he  was  followed  by  the  treble  voice  of  the 
publican,  who  at  the  same  time  rose  from  his  seat  and  accompa- 


32  EOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

nied  the  music  with  some  unsteady  gyrations  in  the  manner  of  a 
dance  upon  the  gravel. 

"  From  too  much  keeping  an  evil  decorum, 
From  the  manifold  treason  parliamentorum, 
From  Oliver  Cromwell,  dux  omnium  malorum, 

Libera  nos,  Libera  nos." 

Whilst  Dauntrees  and  his  gossips  were  thus  occupied  in  their 
carouse,  they  were  interrupted  by  the  unexpected  arrival  of  two 
well  known  persons,  who  had  approached  by  the  path  of  the 
postern  gate. 

The  elder  of  the  two  was  a  youth  just  on  the  verge  of  man- 
hood. His  person  was  slender,  well-proportioned,  and  rather 
over  the  common  height.  His  face,  distinguished  by  a  decided 
outline  of  beauty,  wore  a  thoughtful  expression,  which  was 
scarcely  overcome  by  the  flash  of  a  black  and  brilliant  eye.  A 
complexion  pale,  and  even  feminine,  betokened  studious  habits. 
His  dress,  remarkable  for  its  neatness,  denoted  a  becoming  pride 
of  appearance  in  the  wearer.  It  told  of  the  Low  Countries.  A 
well-fitted  doublet  and  hose,  of  a  grave  color,  were  partially  con- 
cealed by  a  short  camlet  cloak  of  Vandyke  brown.  A  black 
cap  and  feather,  a  profusion  of  dark  hair  hanging  in  curls  towards 
the  shoulders,  and  a  falling  band  or  collar  of  lace,  left  it  unques- 
tionable that  the  individual  I  have  sketched  was  of  gentle  nur- 
ture, and  associated  with  persons  of  rank.  This  was  further 
manifested  in  the  gay  and  somewhat  gaudy  apparel  of  his  com- 
panion— a  lad  of  fourteen,  who  walked  beside  him  in  the  profusely 
decorated  costume  of  a  young  noble  of  that  ambitious  era,  when 
the  thoughtless  and  merry  monarch  of  England,  instead  of  giving 
himself  to  the  cares  of  government,  was  busy  to  invent  extrava- 
gancies of  dress.  The  lad  was  handsome,  though  his  features 
wore  the  impress  of  feeble  health.  He  now  bore  in  his  hand  a 
bow  and  sheaf  of  arrows. 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  33 

The  visitors  had  taken  our  revellers  at  unawares,  and  had 
advanced  within  a  few  feet  before  they  were  observed.  The 
back  of  the  publican  was  turned  to  them,  and  he  was  now  in  mid 
career  of  his  dance,  throwing  up  his  elbows,  tossing  his  head, 
and  treading  daintily  upon  the  earth,  as  he  sang  the  burden, 

"  Libera  nos,  libera  nos." 

"  You  give  care  a  holiday,  Captain  Dauntrees,"  said  the  elder 
youth,  with  a  slightly  perceptible  foreign  accent. 

Dauntrees  started  abruptly  from  his  seat,  at  this  accost,  smiled 
with  a  reddened  brow,  and  made  a  low  obeisance.  The  cessa- 
tion of  the  song  left  Garret  Weasel  what  a  mariner  would  term 
"  high  and  dry,"  for  like  a  bark  floated  upon  a  beach  and  sud- 
denly bereft  of  its  element,  he  remained  fixed  in  the  attitude  at 
which  the  music  deserted  him, — one  foot  raised,  an  arm  extended, 
and  his  face  turned  inquiringly  over  his  shoulder.  His  amaze- 
ment upon  discovering  the  cause  of  this  interruption,  brought 
about  a  sudden  and  ludicrous  affectation  of  sobriety  ;  in  an 
instant  his  port  was  changed  into  one  of  deference,  although 
somewhat  awkwardly  overcharged  with  what  was  intended  to 
represent  gravity  and  decorum. 

Arnold  de  la  Grange  rose  from  his  chair  and  stood  erect,  firm 
and  silent. 

"Hail,  Maste£__Alb^t_JVerheyden,  and  Master  Benedict 
Leonard  :  God  save  you  both  !"  said  Dauntrees. 

"  I  say  amen  to  that,  and  God  save  his  lordship,  besides  I" 
ejaculated  the  publican  with  a  drunken  formality  of  utterance. 

"I  would  not  disturb  your  merriment,  friends,"  said  the 
secretary,  "  but  his  lordship  bade  me  summon  Captain  Dauntrees 
to  the  hall.  You,  Arnold  de  la  Grange,  will  be  pleased  to  ac- 
company the  Captain." 

Arnold  bowed  his  head,  and  the  visitors  retired  by  the  great 


34  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

gate  of  the  fort.  In  a  moment  young  Benedict  Leonard  came 
running  back,  and  addressed  the  forester — 

"  Master  Arnold,  I  would  have  a  new  bow-string — this  is 
worn  ;  and  my  bird-bolts  want  feathering  :  shall  I  leave  them 
with  you,  good  Arnold?"  And  without  waiting  an  answer,  he 
thrust  the  bow  and  arrows  into  the  smiling  wood-ranger's  hand, 
and  bounded  away  again  through  the  gate. 

Dauntrees  flung  his  sword-belt  across  his  shoulder,  put  on  his 
cloak,  delayed  a  moment  to  secure  the  remaining  flasks  of  wine, 
and  then  beckoned  to  the  ranger  to  follow  him. 

"  Stop,"  cried  Weasel,  with  an  officious  zeal  to  make  himself 
useful ;  "your  belt  is  awry  :  it  is  not  comely  to  be  seen  by  his 
Lordship  in  this  slovenly  array." 

The  belt  was  set  right,  and  the  two  directed  their  steps  to- 
wards the  postern,  and  thence  to  the  mansion.  The  publican 
tarried  only  until  his  companions  were  out  of  sight,  when,  curious 
to  know  the  object  of  the  errand,  and  careful  to  avoid  the  appear- 
ance of  intrusion,  he  followed  upon  the  same  path,  at  a  respect- 
ful distance, — stepping  wisely,  as  a  drunken  man  is  wont,  and  full 
of  the  opinion  that  his  sobriety  was  above  all  suspicion. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Oft  as  the  peasant  wight  impelled 
To  these  untrodden  paths  had  been, 
As  oft  he,  horror  struck,  beheld 
Things  of  unearthly  shape  and  mien. 

Glengonar's  Wassail. 


The  day  was  drawing  near  to  a  close,  and  the  Proprietary 
thoughtfully  paced  the  hall.  The  wainscoted  walls  around  him 
were  hung  with  costly  paintings,  mingled,  not  untastefully,  with 
Indian  war  clubs,  shields,  bows  and  arrows,  and  other  trophies 
won  from  the  savage.  There  were  also  the  ponderous  antlers  of 
the  elk  and  the  horns  of  the  buck  sustaining  draperies  of  the 
skins  of  beasts  of  prey.  Muskets,  cutlasses  and  partisans  were 
bestowed  on  brackets  ready  for  use  in  case  of  sudden  invasion 
from  that  race  of  wild  men  whose  stealthy  incursions  in  times 
past  had  taught  this  policy  of  preparation.  The  level  rays  of 
the  setting  sun,  striking  through  the  broad  open  door,  flung  a 
mellow  radiance  over  the  hall,  giving  a  rich  picture-like  tone  to 
its  sylvan  furniture. 

Lord  Baltimore,  at  the  period  when  )  have  introduced  him, 
might  have  been  verging  upon  fifty.  He  was  of  a  delicate  and 
slender  stature,  with  a  grave  and  dignified  countenance.  His 
maimers  were  sedate  and  graceful,  and  distinguished  by  that  gen 
tleness  which  is  characteristic  of  an  educated  mind  when  chas- 
tened by  affliction.  He  had  been  schooled  to  this  gentleness  both 
by  domestic  and  public  griefs.     The  loss  of  a  favorite  son,  about 


36  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

two  years  before,  bad  thrown  a  shadow  upon  his  spirit,  and  a 
succession  of  unruly  political  irritations  in  the  province  served  to 
prevent  the  return  of  that  buoyancy  of  heart  which  is  indifferently 
slow  to  come  back  at  middle  age,  even  when  solicited  by  health, 
fortune,  friends,  and  all  the  other  incitements  which,  in  younger 
men,  are  wont  to  lift  up  a  wounded  spirit  out  of  the  depths  of  a 
casual  sorrow. 

Charles  Calvert  had  come  to  the  province  in  1G62,  and  from 
that  date,  until  the  death  of  his  father,  thirteen  years  afterwards, 
administered  the  government  in  the  capacity  of  Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral.  Upon  his  accession  to  the  proprietary  rights,  he  found 
himself  compelled  by  the  intrigues  of  a  faction  to  visit  London, 
where  he  was  detained  nearly  four  years, — having  left  Lady 
Baltimore,  with  a  young  family  of  children,  behind  him,  under 
the  care  of  his  uncle  Philip  Calvert,  the  chancellor  of  the  prov- 
ince. He  had  now,  within  little  more  than  a  twelvemonth,  re- 
turned to  his  domestie  roof,  to  mingle  his  sorrows  with  those  of 
his, wife  for  the  death  of  his  eldest  son,  Cecilius,  who  had  sunk 
into  the  tomb  during  his  absence. 

The  public  cares  of  his  government  left  him  scant  leisure  to 
dwell  upon  his  personal  afflictions.  The  province  was  surrounded 
by  powerful  tribes  of  Indians  who  watched  the  white  settlers  with 
an  eager  hostility,  and  seized  every  occasion  to  molest  them  by 
secret  inroad,  and  often  by  open  assault.  A  perpetual  war  of 
petty  reprisals  prevailed  upon  the  frontier,  and  even  sometimes 
invaded  the  heart  of  the  province. 

A  still  more  vexatious  annoyance  existed  in  the  party  divi- 
sions of  the  inhabitants — divisions  unluckily  resting  on  religious 
distinctions — the  most  fierce  of  all  dissensions.  Ever  since  the 
Restoration,  the  jealousy  of  the  Protestant  subjects  of  the  crown 
against  the  adherents  of  the  Church  of  Rome  had  been  growing 
into  a  sentiment  that  finally  broke  forth  into  the  most  flagrant 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  •>! 

persecution.  In  the  province,  the  Protestants  daring  the  last 
twenty  years  had  greatly  increased  in  number,  and  at  the  date  of 
this  narrative  constituted  already  the  larger  mass  of  the  popula- 
tion. They  murmured  against  the  dominion  of  the  Proprietary 
as  one  adverse  to  the  welfare  of  the  English  Church  ;  and  intrigues 
were  set  on  foot  to  obtain  the  establishment  of  that  church  in  the 
province  through  the  interest  of  the  ministry  in  England.  Letters 
were  written  by  some  of  the  more  ambitious  clergy  of  Maryland 
to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  to  invoke  his  aid  in  the  enter- 
prise. The  government  of  Lord  Baltimore  was  traduced  in  these 
representations,  and  every  disorder  attributed  to  the  ascendancy  of 
the  Papists.  It  was  even  affirmed  that  the  Proprietary,  and  his 
uncle  the  Chancellor,  had  instigated  the  Indians  to  ravage  the 
plantations  of  the  Protestant  settlers,  and  to  murder  their  fami- 
lies. Chiefly,  to  counteract  these  intrigues,  Lord  Baltimore  had 
visited  the  court  at  London.  Cecilius  Calvert,  the  founder  of  the 
province,  with  a  liberality  as  wise  as  it  was  unprecedented,  had 
erected  his  government  upon  a  basis  of  perfect  religious  freedom. 
He  did  this  at  a  time  when  he  might  have  incorporated  his  own 
faith  with  the  political  character  of  the  colony,  and  maintained  it, 
by  a  course  of  legislation  which  would,  perhaps,  even  up  to  the 
present  day,  have  rendered  Maryland  the  chosen  abode  of  those 
who  now  acknowledge  the  founder's  creed.  His  views,  however, 
were  more  expansive.  It  was  his  design  to  furnish  in  Maryland 
a  refuge  not  only  to  the  weary  and  persecuted  votaries  of  his  own 
sect,  but  an  asylum  to  all  who  might  wish  for  shelter  in  a  land  where 
opinion  should  be  free  and  conscience  undisturbed.  Whilst  this  plant 
of  toleration  was  yet  young,  it  grew  with  a  healthful  luxuriance  ; 
but  the  popular  leaders,  who  are  not  always  as  truly  and  consist- 
ently attached  to  enlightened  freedom  as  we  might  be  led  to  be- 
-lieve  from  their  boasting,  and  who  incessantly  aim  to  obtain  power 
and  make  it  felt,  had  no  sooner  acquired  strength  to  battle  with 


38  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

the  Proprietary  than  they  rooted  up  the  beautiful  exotic  and  gave 
it  te  the  winds. 

Amongst  the  agitators  in  this  cause  was  a  man  of  some  note 
in  the  former  history  of  the  province — the  famous  Josias  Feudal!, 
the  governor  in  the  time  of  the  protectorate— now  in  a  green  old 
age,  whose  turbulent  temper,  and  wily  propensity  to  mischief  had 
lost  none  of  their  edge  with  the  approach  of  gray  hairs.  This  indi- 
vidual had  stimulated  some  of  the  hot  spirits  of  the  province  into 
open  rebellion  against  the  life  of  the  Proprietary  and  his  uncle. 
His  chief  associate  was  John  Coode,  a  coarse  but  shrewd  leader 
of  a  faction,  who,  with  the  worst  inclinations  against  the  Propri- 
etary, had  the  wit  to  avoid  the  penalties  of  the  law,  and  to  main- 
tain himself  in  a  popular  position  as  a  member  of  the  house  of 
Burgesses.  Feudal],  a  few  months  before  this  era,  had  been  ar- 
rested with  several  followers,  upon  strong  proofs  of  conspiracy,  and 
was  now  a  close  prisoner  in  the  jail. 

Such  is  a  brief  but  necessary  view  of  the  state  of  affairs  on 
the  date,  at  which  I  have  presented  the  Lord  Proprietary  to  my 
reader.  The  matter  now  in  hand  with  the  captain  of  the  fort  had 
reference  to  troubles  of  inferior  note  to  those  which  I  have  just 
recounted. 

When  Lord  Baltimore  descried  Captain  Dauntrees  and  the 
ranger  approaching  the  mansion  from  the  direction  of  the  fort,  he 
advanced  beyond  the  threshold  to  meet  them.  In  a  moment  they 
stood  unbonneted  before  him. 

"  God  save  you,  good  friends  1"  was  his  salutation — "  Captain 
Dauntrees  and  worthy  Arnold,  welcome  ! — Cover," — he  added  in 
a  tone  of  familiar  kindness, — "put  on  your  hats  ;  these  evening 
airs  sometimes  distil  an  ague  upon  a  bare  head." 

A  rugged  smile  played  upon  the  features  of  the  old  forester 
as  he  resumed  his  shaggy  cap,  and  said,  "  Lord  Charles  is  good  ; 
but  he  does  not  remember  that  the  head  of  an  old  ranger  gets  his 


EOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  39 

blossoms  like  the  dog-wood, — in  the  wind  and  the  rain  :— the  dew 
sprinkles  upon  it  the  same  as  upon  a  stone." 

"Old  friend,"  replied  the  Proprietary, — "that  grizzly  head 
has  taken  many  a  sprinkling  in  the  service  of  my  father  and  my- 
self :  it  is  worthy  of  a  better  bonnet,  and  thou  shalt  have  one,  Ar- 
nold— the  best  we  can  find  in  the  town.  Choose  for  yourself,  and 
Master  Yerheyden  shall  look  to  the  cost  of  it." 

The  Fleming  modestly  bowed,  as  he  replied  with  that  peculiar 
foreign  gesture  and  accent,  neither  of  which  may  be  described, — 
"  Lord  Charles  is  good. — He  is  the  son  of  his  father,  Lord  Cecil, 
— Heaven  bless  his  memory  !" 

"  Master  Yerheyden  bade  me  attend  your  lordship,"  said 
Dauntrees ;  "  and  to  bring  Arnold  de  la  Grange  with  me." 

"  I  have  matter  for  your  vigilance,  Captain,"  replied  the  Pro- 
prietary. "  Walk  with  me  in  the  garden — we  will  talk  over  our 
business  in  the  open  air." 

When  they  had  strolled  some  distance,  Lord  Baltimore  pro- 
ceeded— "  There  are  strange  tales  afloat  touching  certain  myste- 
rious doings  in  a  house  at  St.  Jerome's  :  the  old  wives  will  have 
it  that  it  is  inhabited  by  goblins  and  mischievous  spirits — and,  in 
truth,  wiser  people  than  old  women  are  foolish  enough  to  hold  it  in 
dread.    Father  Pierre  tells  me  he  can  scarcely  check  this  terror." 

"  Your  Lordship  means  the  fisherman's  house  on  the  beach  at 
St.  Jerome's,"  said  the  Captain.  "The  country  is  full  of  stories 
concerning  it,  and  it  has  long  had  an  ill  fame.  I  know  the  house: 
the  gossips  call  it  The  Wizard's  Chapel.  It  stands  hard  by  the 
hut  of  The  Cripple.  Truly,  my  Lord,  he  who  wanders  there  at 
nightfall  has  need  of  a  clear  shrift." 

"You  give  credence  to  these  idle  tales  ?" 

"  No  idle  tales,  an  please  your  Lordship.  Some  of  these 
marvels  have  I  witnessed  with  my  own  eves.  There  is  a  curse  of 
blood  upon  that  roof." 


40  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

"  I  pray  you  speak  on,"  said  the  Proprietary,  earnestly  ; 
"  there  is  more  in  this  than  I  dreamed  of." 

"  Paul  Kelpy,  the  fisherman,"  continued  Dauntrees, — •"  it  was 
before  my  coming  into  the  province — but  the  story  goes " 

"  It  was  in  the  Lord  Cecil's  time— I  knowed  the  fisherman," 
interrupted  Arnold. 

"  He  was  a  man,"  said  the  Captain,  "  who,  as  your  Lordship 
may  have  heard,  had  a  name  which  caused  him  to  be  shunned  in  his 
time, — and  they  are  alive  now  who  can  tell  enough  of  his  wicked- 
ness to  make  one's  hair  rise  on  end.  He  dwelt  in  this  house  at 
St.  Jerome's  in  Clayborne's  clay,  and  took  part  with  that  free- 
booter ; — went  with  him,  as  I  have  heard,  to  the  Island,  and  was 
outlawed." 

"  Ay,  and  returning,  met  the  death  he  deserved — I  remember 
the  story,"  said  the  Proprietary.  "  He  was  foiled  in  his  attempt 
to  get  out  of  the  province,  and  barred  himself  up  in  his  own 
house." 

"  And  there  he  fought  like  a  tiger, — or  more  like  a  devil  as 
he  was,"  added  the  ranger.  "They  were  more  than  two  days  be- 
fore they  could  get  into  his  house." 

"  When  his  door  was  forced  at  last,"  continued  the  Captain, 
"  they  found  him,  his  wife  and  child,  lying  in  their  own  blood  upon 
the  hearth-stone.  They  were  all  murdered,  people  say,  by  his  own 
hand." 

"  And  that  was  true  !"  added  Arnold  ;  "I  remember  how  he 
was  buried  at  the  cross  road,  below  the  Mattapany  Fort,  with  a 
stake  drove  through  his  body." 

"  Ever  since  that  time,"  continued  Dauntrees,  "  they  say  the 
house  has  been  without  lodgers — of  flesh  and  blood,  I  mean,  my 
Lord, — for  it  has  become  a  devil's  den,  and  a  busy  one." 

"  What  hast  thou  seen,  Captain  ?     You  speak  as  a  witness." 

"It  is  not  yet  six  months  gone  by,  my  Lord,  when  I  was  re- 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  41 

turning  with  Clayton,  the  master  of  the  collector's  pinnace,  from 
the  Isle  of  Kent  ;  we  stood  in,  after  night,  towards  the  headland 
of  St.  Jerome's  bay  ; — it  was  very  dark — and  the  four  windows 
of  the  Wizard's  Chapel,  that  looked  across  the  beach,  were  lighted 
up  with  such  a  light  as  I  have  never  seen  from  candle  or  faggot. 
And  there  were  antic  figures  passing  the  blaze  that  seemed  deep 
in  some  hellish  carouse.  We  kept  our  course,  until  we  got  almost 
close  aboard, — when  suddenly  all  grew  dark.  There  came,  at 
that  moment,  a  gust  of  wind  such  as  the  master  said  he  never 
knew  to  sweep  in  daylight  across  the  Chesapeake.  It  struck  us 
in  our  teeth,  and  we  were  glad  to  get  out  again  upon  the  broad 
water.  It  would  seem  to  infer  that  the  Evil  One  had  service  ren- 
dered there,  which  it  would  be  sinful  to  look  upon.  In  my  poor 
judgment  it  is  matter  for  the  church,  rather  than  for  the  hand  of 
the  law." 

"  You  are  not  a  man,  Captain  Dauntrees,  to  be  lightly 
moved  by  fantasies,"  said  the  Proprietary,  gravely ;  "you  have 
good  repute  for  sense  and  courage.  I  would  have  you  weigh 
well  what  you  report." 

"  Surely,  my  Lord,  Clayton  is  as  stout  a  man  in  heart 
as  any  in  the  province  :  and  yet  he  could  scarcely  hold  his 
helm  for  fear." 

"  Why  was  I  not  told  of  this  ?" 

"  Your  Lordship's  favor,"  replied  Dauntrees,  shaking  his 
head  ;  "  neither  the  master,  the  seamen  nor  myself  would  hazard 
ill  will  by  moving  in  the  matter.  The^e  is  malice  in  these 
spirits,  my  Lord,  which  will  not  brook  meddling  in  their  doings  : 
we  waited  until  we  might  be  questioned  by  those  who  had 
right  to  our  answer.  The  blessed  martyrs  shield  me  !  I  am 
pledged  to  fight  your  Lordship'?  bodily  foes  : — the  good  priests 
of  our  holy  patron  St.  Ignatius  were  better  soldiers  for  this 
warfare." 


42  ROB     OF    THE     EOWL. 

The  Proprietary  remained  for  some  moments  silent ;  at  last, 
turning  to  the  ranger,  he  inquired — "What  dost  thou  know  of 
this  house,  Arnold  ?" 

"Well,  Lord  Charles,"  replied  the  veteran,  "I  was  not 
born  to  be  much  afear'd  of  goblins  or  witches.  In  my  rangtngs 
I  have  more  than  once  come  in  the  way  of  these  wicked  spirits  ; 
and  then  I  have  found  that  "a  clean  breast  and  a  stout  heart, 
with  the  help  of  an  Ave  Mary  and  a  Paternoster  was  more 
than  a  match  for  all  their  bowlings.  But  the  fisherman's  house 
— oh,  my  good  Lord  Charles,"  he  added  with  a  portentous 
shrug,  "has  dwellers  in  it  that  it  is  best  not  to  trouble.  When 
Sergeant  Travers  and  myself  were  ranging  across  by  St. 
Jerome's,  at  that  time  when  Tiquassino's  men  were  thought 
to  be  a  thieving, — last  Hallowmass,  if  I  remember, — we  shot 
a  doe  towards  night,  and  sat  down  in  the  woods,  waiting 
to  dress  our  meat  for  a  supper,  which  kept  us  late,  before 
we  mounted  our  horses  again.  But  we  had  some  aqua  vitas, 
and  didn't  much  care  for  hours.  So  it  was  midnight,  with 
no  light  but  the  stars  to  show  us  our  way.  It  happened 
that  we  rode  not  far  from  the  Wizard's  Chapel,  which  put 
us  to  telling  stories  to  each  other  about  Paul  Kelpy  and 
the  ghosts  that  people  said  haunted  his  house." 

"The  aqua  vitas  made  you  talkative  as  well  as  valiant, 
Arnold,"  interrupted  the  Proprietary. 

"I  will  not  say  that,"  replied  the  ranger;  "but  something 
put  it  into  our  heads  to  go  down  the  bank  and  ride  round 
the  chapel.  At  first  all  was  as  quiet  as  if  it  had  been  our 
church  here  of  St.  Mary's — except  that  our  horses  snorted 
and  reared  with  fright  at  something  we  could  not  see.  The 
wind  was  blowing,  and  the  waves  were  beating  on  the  shore, — . 
and  suddenly  we  began  to  grow  cold  ;  and  then,  all  at  once, 
there   came   a  rumbling   noise   inside   of   the    house    like   the 


ROB    OF    THE    BO  "WL  43 

rolling-  of  a  hogshead  full  of  pebbles,  and  afterwards  little 
flashes  of  light  through  the  windows,  and  the  sergeant  said 
he  heard  clanking  chains  and  groans  :-— it  isn't  worth  while 
to  hide  it  from  your  Lordship,  but  the  sergeant  ran  away 
like  a  coward,  and  I  followed  him  like  another,  Lord  Charles. 
Since  that  night  I  have  not  been  near  the  Black  House.  We 
have  an  old  saying  in  my  country — '  een  gebrande  kat  vreest 
het  koude  water' — the  scalded  cat  keeps  clear  of  cold  water — 
ha,  I  mind  the  proverb  ,; 

"  It  is  not  long  ago,"  said  Dauntrees, — "  perhaps  not  above 
two  years, — when,  they  say,  the  old  sun-dried  timber  of  the 
building  turned  suddenly  black.  It  was  the  work  of  a  single 
night — your  Lordship  shall  find  it  so  now." 

"  I  can  witness  the  truth  of  it,"  said  Arnold — "  the  house 
was  never  black  until  that  night,  and  now  it  looks  as  if 
it  was  scorched  with  lightning  from  roof  to  ground  sill.  And 
yet,  lightning  could  never  leave  it  so  black  without  burning 
it  to  the  ground." 

"  There  is  some  trickery  in  this,"  said  the  Proprietary. 
"  It  may  scarce  be  accounted  for  on  any  pretence  of  witchcraft, 
or  sorcery,  although  I  know  there  are  malignant  influences 
at  work  in  the  province,  which  find  motive  enough  to  do 
all  the  harm  they  can.  Has  Fendall,  or  any  of  his  confederates, 
had  commerce  with  this  house,  Captain  Dauntrees  ?  Can  you 
suspect  such  intercourse  ?" 

"Assuredly  not,  my  Lord,"  replied  the  Captain,  "for 
Marshall,  who  is  the  most  insolent  of  that  faction,  has,  to 
my  personal  knowledge,  the  greatest  dread  of  the  chapel  of  all 
other  men  I  have  seen.  Besides,  these  terrors  have  flourished 
in  the  winter-night  tales  of  the  neighborhood,  ever  since  the 
death  of  Kelpy,  and  long  before  the  Fendalls  grew  so  pestilent 
in  the  province." 


44  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

•''  It  -is  the  blood  of  the  fisherman,  my  good  Lord,  and 
of  his  wife  and  children,  that  stains  the  floor,"  said  Arnold  ; 
"  it  is  that  blood  which  brings  the  evil  spirits  together  about 
the  old  hearth.  Twice  every  day  the  blood-spots  upon  the 
floor  freshen  and  grow  strong,  as  the  tide  comes  to  flood  : — 
at  the  ebb  they  may  be  hardly  seen." 

"  You  have  witnessed  this  yourself,  Arnold  1" 

"  At  the  ebb,  Lord  Charles.  I  did  not  stay  for  the  change 
of  tide.  When  I  saw  the  spots  it  was  as  much  as  we  could 
do  to  make  them  out.  But  at  the  flood  every  body  says 
they  are  plain." 

"It  is  a  weighty  matter,  a  very  weighty  matter,  an  it 
like  your  Lordship's  honor,"  muttered  forth  the  slim  voice 
of  Garret  Weasel,  who  had  insinuated  himself,  by  slow 
approach,  into  the  rear  of  the  company,  near  enough  to  hear 
a  part  of  this  conversation,  and  who  now  fancied  that  his 
interest  in  the  subject  would  ensure  him  an  unrebuked  access 
to  the  Proprietary — "and  your  Lordship  hath  a  worthy  care 
for  the  fears  of  the  poor  people  touching  the  abominations 
of  the  Wizard's  Chapel." 

"What  brought  thee  here,  Garret  Weasel?"  inquired  the 
Proprietary,  as  he  turned  suddenly  upon  the  publican  and 
looked  him  steadfastly  in  the  face — "  What  wonder  hast  thou 
to  tell  to  excuse  thy  lurking  at  our  heels  ?" 

"Much  and  manifold,  our  most  noble  Lord,  touching  the 
rumors,"  replied  the  confused  innkeeper,  with  a  thick  utterance. 
"  And  it  is  the  most  notable  thing  about  it  that  Robert  Swale 
— Rob  o'  the  Trencher,  as  he  is  commonly  called — your  Lordship 
apprehends  I  mean  the  Cripple — that  Rob  lives  so  near  the 
Wizard's  Chapel.  There's  matter  of  consideration  in  that — if 
your  Lordship  will  weigh  it." 

"  Fie,  Master  Garret  Weasel !     Fie  on  thee  !     Thou  art  in 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  45 

thy  cups.  I  grieve  to  see  thee  making  a  beast  of  thyself.  You 
had  a  name  for  sobriety.  Look  that  you  lose  it  not  again. 
Captain  Dauntrees,  if  the  publican  has  been  your  guest  this 
evening,  you  are  scarce  free  of  blame  for  this." 

"  He  has  a  shallow  head,  my  Lord,  and  it  is  more  easily 
sounded  than  I  guessed.  Arnold,"  said  Dauntrees  apart,  "  per- 
suade the  innkeeper  home." 

The  ranger  took  Garret's  arm,  and  expostulating  with  him 
as-  he  led  him  away,  dismissed  him  at  the  gate  with  an  admonition 
to  bear  himself  discreetly  in  the  presence  of  his  wife — a  hint 
which  seemed  to  have  a  salutary  effect,  as  the  landlord  was  seen 
shaping  his  course  with  an  improved  carriage  towards  the  town. 

"  Have  you  reason  to  believe,  Captain  Dauntrees,"  said  the 
Proprietary,  after  Weasel  had  departed,  "  that  the  Cripple  gives 
credit  to  these  tales.     He  lives  near  this  troubled  house  ?" 

"  Not  above  a  gunshot  off,  my  Lord.  He  cannot  but  be 
witness  to  these  marvels.  But  he  is  a  man  of  harsh  words,  and 
lives  to  himself.  There  is  matter  in  his  own  life,  I  should  guess, 
which  leaves  but  little  will  to  censure  these  doings.  To  a 
certainty  he  has  no  fear  of  what  may  dwell  in  the  Black 
building.     I  have  seldom  spoken  with  him." 

"  Your  report  and  Arnold's,"  said  the  Proprietary,  "  confirm 
the  common  rumor.  I  have  heard  to-day,  that  two  nights  past 
some  such  phantoms  as  you  speak  of  have  been  seen,  and  deemed 
it  at  first  a  mere  gossip's  wonder  ; — but  what  you  tell  gives  a 
graver  complexion  of  truth  to  these  whisperings.  Be  there 
demons  or  jugglers  amongst  us — and  I  have  reason  to  suspect 
both — this  matter  must  be  sifted.  I  would  have  the  inquiry 
made  by  men  who  are  not  moved  by  the  vulgar  love  of  marvel. 
This  duty  shall  be  yours,  friends.  Make  suitable  preparation, 
Captain,  to  discharge  it  at  your  earliest  leisure.  I  would  have 
you  and  Arnold,  with  such  discreet  friends  as  you  may  select, 


46  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

visit  this  spot  at  night  and  observe  the  doings  there.  Look  that 
vou'keep  your  own  counsel :— we  have  enemies  of  flesh  and  blood 
that  may  be  more  dreaded  than  these  phantoms.  So,  God 
speed  you,  friends  !" 

"The  man  who  purges  the  Black  House  of  the  fiend,  so 
please  you,  my  Lord,"  said  Dauntrees,  "  should  possess  more 
odor  of  sanctity  than  I  doubt  will  be  found  under  our  soldier's 
jerkins.  I  shall  nevertheless  execute  your  Lordship's  orders  to 
the  letter." 

"  Hark  yon,  Captain,"  said  the  Proprietary,  as  his  visitors 
were  about  to  take  their  leave,  "  if  you  have  a  scruple  in  this 
matter  and  are  so  inclined,  I  would  have  you  confer  with  Father 
Pierre.  Whether  this  adventure  require  prayer,  or  weapon  of 
steel,  you  shall  judge  for  yourself." 

•'  I  shall  take  it,  my  Lord,  as  a  point  of  soldiership,"  said 
Dauntrees,  "  to  be  dealt  with  in  soldierly  fashion — that  is,  with 
round  blows  if  occasion  serves.  I  ask  no  aid  from  our  good 
priest.  He  has  a  trick — if  I  may  be  so  bold  as  to  speak  it 
before  your  Lordship — which  does  not  so  well  sort  with  my  age 
and  bodily  health — a  trick,  my  Lord,  of  putting  one  to  a  fasting 
penance  by  way  of  purification.  Our  purpose  of  visiting  the 
Black  House  would  be  unseasonably  delayed  by  such  a  pur- 
gation." 

"  As  you  will !"  said  the  Proprietary,  laughing  ;  "  Father 
Pierre  would  have  but  an  idle  sinecure  if  he  had  no  other  calling 
but  to  bring  you  to  your  penitentiary.  Good  even,  friends — 
may  the  kind  saints  be  with  yon  !" 

The  Captain  and  his  comrade  now  turned  their  steps  toward 
the  fort,  and  the  Proprietary  retired  into  the  mansion.  Here 
he  found  the  secretary  and  Benedict  Leonard  waiting  his  arrival. 
They  had  just  returned  from  the  town,  whither  they  had  gone 
after  doing  their  errand  to  the  fort.     Albert  Yerheyden  bore  a 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  4? 

packet  secured  with  silken  strings  and  sealed,  which  he  delivered 
to  the  Proprietary. 

"Dick  Pagan,  the  courier,"  he  said,  "has  just  come  in  from 
James  Town  in  Virginia,  whence  he  set  forth  but  four  days  ago 
— he  has  had  a  hard  ride  of  it — and  brought  this  packet  to  the 
sheriff  for  my  Lord.  The  courier  reports  that  a  ship  had  just 
arrived  from  England,  and  that  Sir  Henry  Chichely  the  governor 
gave  him  this  for  your  Lordship  to  be  delivered  without  delay." 

The  Proprietary  took  the  packet :  "Albert,"  he  said,  as  he 
was  about  to  withdraw,  "  I  have  promised  the  old  ranger, 
Arnold  de  la  Grange,  a  new  cap.  Look  to  it :— get  him  the 
best  that  you  may  find  in  the  town — or,  perhaps,  it  would  better 
content  him  to  have  one  made  express  by  Cony  the  leather- 
dresser.  Let  it  be  as  it  may  best  please  the  veteran  himself, 
good  Albert."  With  this  considerate  remembrance  of  the 
ranger,  Lord  Baltimore  withdrew  into  his  study. 


CHAPTER  V. 


deep  on  his  front  engraven, 

Deliberation  sat.  and  public  care. 

Milton. 

Lend  me  thy  lantern  quotha?    Marry  I'll  see  thee  hanged  first. 

Shakspearh. 


A  small  fire  blazed  on  the  hearth  of  the  study  and  mingled  its 
light  with  that  of  a  silver  cresset,  which  hung  from  the  ceiling 
above  a  table  furnished  with  writing  materials  and  strewed  over 
with  papers.  Here  the  Proprietary  sat  intent  upon  the  perusal 
of  the  packet.  Its  contents  disquieted  him  ;  and  with  increasing 
solicitude  he  again  and  again  read  over  the  letters. 

At  length  the  secretary  was  summoned  into  his  presence. 
"Albert,"  he  said,  "the  council  must  be  called  together  to- 
morrow at  noon.  The  messengers  should  be  despatched  to-night ; 
they  have  a  dark  road  and  far  to  ride.  Let  them  be  ready  with 
the  least  delay." 

The  secretary  bowed,  and  went  forth  to  execute  his  order. 

The  letters  brought  to  the  Proprietary  a  fresh  importation 
of  troubles.  That  which  most  disturbed  him  was  from  the  Board 
of  Trade  and  Plantations,  and  spoke  authoritatively  of  the  grow- 
ing displeasure  of  the  ministry  at  the  exclusiveness,  as  it  was 
termed,  of  the  Proprietary's  favors,  in  the  administration  of  his 
government,  to  the  Catholic  inhabitants  of  the  pi'ovince  ;  it 
hinted  at  the  popular  and  probably  well-founded  discontent — to 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  49 

use  its  own  phrase — of  his  Majesty's  Protestant  subjects  against 
the  too  liberal  indulgence  shown  to  the  Papists  ;  repeated  stale 
charges  and  exploded  calumnies  against  the  Proprietary,  with  an 
earnestness  that  showed  how  sedulously  his  enemies  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  disfavor  into  which  the  Church  of  Rome  and 
its  advocates  had  fallen  since  the  Restoration  ;  and  concluded 
with  a  peremptory  intimation  of  the  royal  pleasure  that  all  the 
offices  of  the  province  should  be  immediately  transferred  into  the 
hands  of  the  Church  of  England  party. 

This  was  a  blow  at  Lord  Baltimore  which  scarcely  took  him 
by  surprise.  His  late  visit  to  England  had  convinced  him  thnt 
not  all  the  personal  partiality  of  the  monarch  for  his  family— and 
this  was  rendered  conspicuous  in  more  than  one  act  of  favor  at  a 
time  when  the  Catholic  lords  were  brought  under  the  baa  of 
popular  odium — would  be  able  finally  to  shelter  the  province 
from  that  religious  proscription  which  already  was  rife  in  the 
mother  land.  He  was  not,  therefore,  altogether  unprepared  to 
expect  this  assault.  The  mandate  was  especially  harsh  in  refer- 
ence to  the  Proprietary,  first  because  it  was  untrue  that  he  had 
ever  recognized  the  difference  of  religious  opinion  in  his  appoint- 
ments, but  on  the  contrary  had  conferred  office  indiscriminately 
in  strict  and  faithful  accordance  with  the  fundamental  principle 
of  toleration  upon  which  his  government  was  founded  ;  and, 
secondly,  because  it  would  bear  with  pointed  injustice  upon  some 
of  his  nearest  and  most  devoted  friends — his  uncle  the  chancellor, 
the  whole  of  his  council,  and,  above  all  others  in  whose  welfare 
he  took  an  interest,  upon  the  collector  of  the  port  of  St.  Mary's, 
Anthony  Warden,  an  old  inhabitant  of  the  province,  endeared  to 
the  Proprietary — and  indeed  to  all  his  fellow- burgesses — by  long- 
friendship  and  tried  fidelity.  What  rendered  it  more  grating  to 
the  feelings  of  the  Proprietary  in  this  instance,  was  that  the 
collectorship  had  already  been  singled  out  as  a  prize  to  be  played 


50  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

for  by  that  faction  which  had  created  the  late  disturbances  i& 
the  province.  It  was  known  that  Coocle  had  set  his  eyes  upon 
this  lure,  and  gloated  upon  it  with  the  gaze  of  a  serpent.  The 
emoluments  of  the  post  were  something  considerable,  and  its 
importance  was  increased  by  the  influence  it  was  supposed  to 
confer  on  the  incumbent,  as  a  person  of  weight  and  consequence 
in  the  town. 

The  first  expression  of  irritation  which  the  perusal  of  the  pack- 
et brought  to  the  lips  of  the  Proprietary  had  a  reference  to  the 
collector.  "  They  would  have  me,"  he  said,  as  he  rose  and  strode 
through  the  apartment,  "  discard  from  my  service  the  very  ap- 
proved friends  with  whom  in  my  severest  toils,  in  this  wilderness, 
I  have  for  so  many  years  buffeted  side  by  side,  and  to  whom  I  am 
most  indebted  for  support  and  encouragement  amidst  the  thou- 
sand disasters  of  my  enterprise.  They  would  have  me  turn  adrift, 
without  a  moment's  warning,  and  even  with  circumstances  of  dis- 
grace, that  tried  pattern  of  honesty,  old  Anthony  Warden.  Vir- 
tue, in  her  best  estate,  has  but  a  step-daughter's  portion  in  the 
division  of  this  world's  goods,  and  often  goes  begging,  when  var- 
nished knavery  carries  a  high  head  and  proud  heart",  and  lords  it 
like  a  very  king.  By  the  blessed  light  !  old  Anthony  shall  not 
budge  on  my  motion.  Am  I  to  be  schooled  in  my  duty  by  rapa- 
cious malcontents,  and  to  be  driven  to  put  away  my  trustiest, 
friends,  to  make  room  for  such  thirsty  leeches  and  coarse  rufflers 
as  John  Coode  ?  The  argument  is,  that  here,  in  what  my  father 
would  have  made  a  peaceful,  contented  land,  planted  by  him  and 
the  brothers  of  his  faith, — with  the  kindest,  best  and  most  en- 
deared supporters  of  that  faith  by  my  side — worthy  men,  earnest 
and  zealous  to  do  their  duty — they  and  their  children  true  to 
every  Christian  precept — men  who  have  won,ahome  by  valor  and 
patient,  wise  endurance — they  must  all  be  disfranchised,  as  not 
trustworthy  even  for  the  meanest  office,  and  give  their  places  to 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  51 

brawlers,  vaporing  bullies  and  factious  stirrers- up  of  discord — and 
that,  too,  in  the  name  of  religion  I  Oh,  this  viper  of  intolerance,, 
how  has  it  crept  in  and  defiled  the  garden  !  One  would  have 
thought  this  world  were  wide  enough  to  give  the  baser  passions 
elbow  room,  without  rendering  our  little  secluded  nook  a  theatre 
for  the  struggle.  Come  what  may,  Anthony  Warden  shall  not 
lack  the  collectorship  whilst  a  shred  of  my  prerogative  remains 
untorn  !" 

In  this  strain  of  feeling  the  Proprietary  continued  to  chafe  his 
r.pirit,  until  the  necessity  of  preparing  the  letters  which  were  to 
urge  the  attendance  of  his  council,  drew  him  from  his  fretful  rev- 
erie into  a  calmer  tone  of  mind. 

In  the  servant's  hall  there  was  an  unusual  stir  occasioned  by 
the  preparations  which  were  in  train  for  the  outriding  of  the  mes- 
sengers whom  the  secretary  had  put  in  requisition  for  the  service 
of  the  night.  The  first  of  these  was  Derrick  Brown,  a  man  of 
stout  mould  though  somewhat  advanced  in  years.  He  held  in  the 
establishment  what  might  be  termed  the  double  post  of  master  of 
the  mews  and  keeper  of  the  fox  hounds,  being  principal  falconer 
and  huntsman  of  the  household.  The  second  was  a  short,  plump 
little  fellow,  bearing  the  name  of  John  Alward,  who  was  one  of 
the  grooms  of  the  stable.  These  two,  now  ready  booted,  belted 
and  spurred,  were. seated  on  a  bench,  discussing  a  luncheon,  with 
the  supplement  of  a  large  jack  or  tankard  of  brown  bastard.  Sev- 
eral of  the  other  domestics  loitered  in  the  hall,  throwing  in  occa- 
sionally a  word  of  advice  to  the  riders,  or  giving  them  unsolicited 
aid  in  the  carnal  occupation  of  bodily  reinforcement  to  which  they 
were  devoting  themselves  with  the  lusty  vigor  of  practised  trench- 
ermen. Leaning  against  the  jamb  of  the  ample  fireplace,  imme- 
diately below  a  lamp  which  tipped  the  prominent  points  of  his 
grave  visage  with  a  sharp  light,  stood  an  old  Indian,  of  massive 
figure  and  swarthy  hue,  named  Pamesack,  or,  as  he  was  called  in 


52  BOB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

the  English  translation  of  the  Indian  word,  The  Knife.  This  per- 
sonage had  been,  for  some  years  past,  at  intervals,  a  privileged 
inmate  of  the  Proprietary's  family,  and  was  now,  though  consigned 
to  a  portion  of  the  duties  of  the  evening,  apparently  an  uncon- 
cerned spectator  of  the  scene  around  him.  He  smoked  his  pipe 
in  silence,  or  if  he  spoke,  it  was  seldom  more  than  in  the  short 
monosyllable  characteristic  of  the  incommunicative  habits  of  his 
tribe. 

"  When  I  saw  Dick  Pagan,  the  James  Town  courier,  coming 
into  town  this  evening  with  his  leather  pouch  slung  across  his 
shoulder,"  said  the  elder  of  the  riders,  "  I  guessed  as  much  as  that 
there  would  be  matter  for  the  council.  News  from  that  quarter 
now-a-days  is  apt  to  bring  business  for  their  worships.  I  warrant 
the  brother  of  Master  Fendall  has  been  contriving  an  outcome  in 
Virginia.  I  heard  John  Rye,  the  miller  of  St.  Clements,  say  last 
Sunday  afternoon,  that  Samuel  Fendall  had  forty  mounted  men 
ready  in  the  forest  to  do  his  bidding  with  broadsword  and  car- 
bine. And  he  would  have  done  it  too,  if  my  Lord  had  not  laid 
him  by  the  heels  at  unawares.  He  has  a  savage  spite  against  my 
Lord  and  the  Chancellor  both." 

"  But  knew  you  ever  the  like  before,"  said  John  Alward, 
"  that  his  Lordship  should  be  in  such  haste  to  see  their  worships, 
he  must  needs  have  us  tramping  over  the  country  at  midnight  ? 
There  must  be  a  hot  flavor  in  the  news  !  It  was  a  post-haste 
letter." 

"  Tush,  copperface  !  What  have  you  to  do  with  the  flavor 
of  the  news  ?  You  have  little  to  complain  of,  John  Alward,  for 
a  midnight  tramp.  It  is  but  twelve  miles  from  this  to  Matta- 
pany,  and  your  errand  is  done.  You  may  be  snoozing  on  a  good 
truss  of  hay  in  Master  Sewall's  stable  before  midnight,  if  you  make 
speed.  Think  of  my  ride  all  the  way  to  Notley  Hall, — and  round 
about  by  the  head  of  the  river  too — for  I  doubt  if  I  have  any 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  53 

chance  to  get  a  cast  over  the  ferry  to-night.  Tom  Taylor,  the 
boat  keeper,  is  not  often  sober  at  this  hour  :  and  if  he  was,  a 
crustier  churl — the  devil  warm  his  pillow  ! — doesn't  live  'twixt 
this  and  the  old  world.     He  gets  out  of  his  sleep  for  no  man." 

"  But  it  is  a  dark  road  mine,"  replied  the  groom.  "  A  plague 
upon  it  !  I  have  no  stomach  for  this  bush  and  brier  work,  when 
a  man  can  see  the  limb  of  a  tree  no  more  than  a  cobweb." 

"  A  dark  road  !"  exclaimed  the  master  of  the  kennels,  laugh- 
ing. "  A  dark  road,  John  !  It  is  a  long  time  since  there  has 
been  a  dark  road  for  your  night  rides,  with  that  nose  shining  like 
a  lighted  link  a  half  score  paces  ahead.  It  was  somewhat  dead- 
ened last  September,  I  allow,  when  you  had  the  marsh  ague,  and 
the  doctor  fed  you  for  a  week  on  gruel — but  it  has  waxed  lately 
as  bright  as  ever.  I  wish  I  could  buckle  it  to  my  head-strap 
until  to-morrow  morning." 

A  burst  of  laughter,  at  this  sally,  which  rang  through  the  hall, 
testified  the  effect  of  the  falconer's  wit  and  brought  the  groom  to 
his  feet. 

"'S  blood,  you  grinning  fools  !"  he  ejaculated,  "haven't  you 
heard  Derrick's  joke  a  thousand  times  before,  that  you  must  toss 
up  }'our  scurvy  ha-haws  at  it,  as  if  it  was  new  !  He  stole  it — as 
the  whole  hundred  knows- — from  the  fat  captain,  old  Dauntrees 
in  the  fort  there  ;  who  would  have  got  it  back  upon  hue  and  cry, 
if  it  had  been  his  own  ; — but  the  truth  is,  the  Captain  filched  it 
from  a  play-book,  as  the  surveyor  told  him  in  my  hearing  at  Gar- 
ret Weasel's,  where  the  Captain  must  needs  have  it  for  a  laugh- 
ing matter." 

"  It  .is  a  joke  that  burns  fresh  every  night,"  replied  Derrick  ; 
"a  thing  to  make  light  of.  So,  up  with  the  bottom  of  the  pot, 
boy,  and  feed  it  with  mother's  milk  :  it  will  stand  you  in  stead  to- 
night. Well  done,  John  Alward  !  I  can  commend  you  for  taking 
a  jest  as  well  as  another." 


54  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

"  Master  Derrick,"  said  the  other,  "  this  is  not  the  way  to  do 
his  Lordship's  bidding  :  if  we  must  go,  we  should  be  jogging  now. 
I  would  I  had  your  ride  to  take,  instead  of  my  own, — short  as 
you  think  it." 

"  Ha,  say  you  that !  You  shall  have  it,  an  it  please  Master 
Secretary  !     But  upon  one  condition." 

"  Upon  what  condition  ?" 

"  That  you  tell  me  honestly  why  you  would  choose  to  ride 
twenty  miles  to  ISTotley  rather  than  twelve  to  Mattapany." 

"  Good  Derrick,"  answered  the  groom,  "  it  is  but  as  a  matter 
of  horsemanship.  You  have  a  broader  road,  and  mine  is  a  path 
much  beset  with  brushwood.  I  like  not  the  peril  of  being  un- 
horsed." 

"There  is  a  lie  in  your  face,  John  Alward  ;  the  Mattapany 
road  is  the  broadest  and  best  of  the  two — is  it  not  so,  Paine- 
sack  !" 

"  It  is  the  first  that  was  opened  by  the  white  man,"  replied 
the  Indian  ;  "and  more  people  pass  upon  it  than  the  other." 

"  John,"  said  the  falconer,  "  you  are  a  coward.  I  will  not  put 
you  to  the  inventing  another  lie,  but  will  wager  I  can  tell  you  at 
one  guess  why  you  would  change  with  me." 

"  Out  with  it,  Master  Derrick  !"  exclaimed  the  bystanders. 

"  Oh,  out  with  it  !"  repeated  John  Alward  ;  "  I  heed  not  your 
gibes." 

"  You  fear  the  cross  road,"  said  the  falconer  ;  "  you  will  not 
pass  the  fisherman's  grave." 

"  In  troth,  masters,  I  must  needs  own,"  replied  the  groom, 
"  that  I  have  qualms.  I  never  was  ashamed  to  tell  the  truth,  and 
confess  that  I  am  so  much  of  a  sinner  as  to  feel  an  honest  fear  of 
the  devil  and  his  doings.  I  have  known  a  horse  to  start  and  a 
rider  to  be  flung  at  the  cross  road  before  now : — there  are  times 
in  the  night  when  both  horse  and  rider  may  see  what  it  turns 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  55 

one's  blood  into  ice  to  look  at.  Nay,  I  am  in  earnest,  masters  • 
— I  jest  not." 

"  You  have  honestly  confessed,  like  a  brave  man,  that  you 
are  a  coward,  John  Alward  ;  and  so  it  shall  be  a  bargain  between 
us.  I  will  take  your  message.  I  fear  not  Paul  Kelpy — he  has 
been  down  with  that  stake  through  his  body,  ever  too  fast  to  walk 
abroad." 

"There's  my  hand  to  it,"  said  the  groom,  "and  thanks  to 
boot.  I  am  no  coward,  Derrick, — but  have  an  infirmity  which 
will  not  endure  to  look  by  night,  in  the  lonesome  woods,  upon  a 
a  spirit  which  walks  with  a  great  shaft  through  it.  Willy  of  the 
Flats  saw  it,  in  that  fashion,  as  he  went  home  from  the  Viewer's 
feast  on  the  eve  of  St.  Agues." 

"  Willy  had  seen  too  much  of  the  Viewer's  hollands  that 
night,"  said  Derrick  ;  "and  they  are  spirits  worth  a  dozen  Paul 
Kelpys,  even  if  the  whole  dozen  were  trussed  upon  the  same  stake, 
like  herrings  hung  up  to  smoke.  In  spite  of  the  fisherman  and 
his  bolt,  I  warrant  you  I  pass  unchallenged  betwixt  this  and 
Mattapauy." 

The  secretary,  soon  after  this,  entered  the  hall  and  confirmed 
the  arrangements  which  had  just  been  made.  He  accordingly  de- 
livered the  letters  intended  for  Colonel  Talbot  and  Nicholas  Sew- 
all  to  the  falconer,  and  that  for  Mr.  Notley,  the  late  lieutenant 
general  of  the  province,  to  John  Alward.  To  the  Indian  MTas 
committed  the  duty  of  bearing  the  missions  to  such  members  of 
the  council  as  resided  either  in  the  town  or  within  a  few  miles  of 
it.  Holding  it  matter  of  indifference  whether  he  despatched  this 
duty  by  night  or  by  day,  The  Knife  took  it  in  hand  at  once,  and 
set  forth,  on  foot,  with  a  letter  for  Colonel  Digges,  who  lived 
about  five  miles  off,  at  the  same  time  that  the  other  two  couriers 
mounted  their  horses  for  their  lonesome  journeys  through  the 
forest. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


If  we  should  wait  till  you,  in  solemn  council, 

"With  due  deliberation,  had  selected 

The  smallest  out  of  four  and  twenty  evils, 

I'  faith  we  should  wait  long. 

Dash  and  through  with  it — that's  the  better  watchword, 

Then  after,  come  what  may  come. 

PlCCOLOMINI. 


On  the  following  day,  the  council,  consisting  of  some  four  or 
five  gentlemen,  were  assembled  at  the  Proprietary  Mansion 
About  noon  their  number  was  rendered  complete,  by  the  arrival 
of  Colonel  George  Talbot,  who,  mounted  on  a  spirited,  milk-white 
steed  that  smoked  with  the  hot  vigor  of  his  motion,  dashed  through 
the  gate  and  alighted  at  the  door.  A  pair  of  pistols  across  his 
saddle-bow,  and  a  poniard,  partially  disclosed  under  his  vest,  dem- 
onstrated the  precautions  of  the  possessor  to  defend  himself  against 
sudden  assault,  and  no  less  denoted  the  quarrelsome  aspect  of  the 
times.  His  frame  was  tall,  athletic,  and  graceful  ;  his  eye  hawk- 
like, and  his  features  prominent  and  handsome,  at  the  same  time 
indicative  of  quick  temper  and  rash  resolve.  There  was  in  his 
dress  a  manifestation  of  the  consciousness  of  a  good  figure — it  was 
the  costume  of  a  gallant  of  the  times  ;  and  his  bearing  was  char- 
acteristic of  a  person  accustomed  to  bold  action  and  gay  compan- 
ionship. 

Talbot  was  a  near  kinsman  of  the   Baltimore  family,   and 
besides  being  a  member  of  the  Proprietary's  council,,  he  held  the 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  57 

post  of  surveyor  general,  and  commauded,  also,  the  provincial 
militia  on  the  northern  frontier,  including  the  settlements  on  the 
Elk  River,  where  he  owned  a  large  manor,  upon  which  he  usually 
resided.  At  the  present  time  he  was  in  the  temporary  occupation 
of  a  favorite  seat  of  the  Proprietary,  at  Mattapany,  on  the 
Patuxent,  whither  the  late  summons  had  been  despatched  to  call 
him  to  the  council. 

This  gentleman  was  a  zealous  Catholic,  and  an  ardent  per- 
sonal friend  of  his  kinsman,  the  Proprietary,  whose  cause  he 
advocated  with  that  peremptory  and,  most  usually,  impolitic 
determination  which  his  imperious  nature  prompted,  and  which 
served  to  draw  upon  him  the  peculiar  hatred  of  Fendall  and 
Coode,  and  their  partisans.  He  was  thus,  although  a  sincere,  it 
may  be  imagined,  an  indiscreet  adviser  in  state  affairs,  little 
qualified  to  subdue  or  allay  that  jealous  spirit  of  proscription 
which,  from  the  epoch  of  the  Protectorate  down  to  this  date,  had 
been  growing  more  intractable  in  the  province. 

Such  was  the  individual  who  now,  with  the  firm  stride  and 
dauntless  carriage  of  a  belted  and  booted  knight  of  chivalry, 
to  which  his  picturesque  costume  heightened  the  resemblance, 
entered  the  apartment  where  his  seniors  were  already  con- 
vened. 

"Well  met!"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  flung  his  hat  and  gloves 
upon  a  table  and  extended  his  hand  to  those  who  were  nearest 
him.  "How  fares  it,  gentlemen?  What  devil  of  mutiny  is 
abroad  now  ?  Has  that  pimpled  fellow  of  fustian,  that  swiller 
of  the  leavings  of  a  tap  room,  the  worshipful  king  of  the  Bur- 
gesses, master  Jack  Coode,  got  drunk  again  and  begun  to  bully 
in  his  cups  ?  The  falconer  who  hammered  at  my  door  last  night 
as  if  he  would  have  beaten  your  Lordship's  house  about  my  ears, 
could  tell  me  nothing  of  the  cause  of  this  sudden  convocation, 
save  that  Driving:  Dick  had  come  in  hot  haste  from  James  Town 


58  BOB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

with  letters  that  had  set  the  mansion  here  all  agog,  from  his 
Lordship's  closet  down  to  the  scullery." 

"With  proper  abatement  for  the  falconer's  love  of  gossip," 
said  the  Proprietary,  "he  told  you  true.  The  letters  are  there 
on  the  table.  When  you  have  read  them,  you  will  see  that  with 
good  reason  I  might  make  some  commotion  in  my  house." 

Talbot  ran  his  eye  over  the  papers.  "  Well,  and  well — an 
old  story  !"  he  said,  as  he  threw  one  letter  aside  and  took  up 
another.  "Antichrist — the  Red  Lady  of  Babylon — the  Jesuits 
- — and  the  devil :  we  have  had  it  so  often  that  the  lecture  is 
somewhat  stale.  The  truculent  Papists  are  the  authors  of  all 
evil  !  We  had  the  Geneva  band  in  fashion  for  a  time  ;  but  that 
wore  out  with  old  Noll.  And  then  comes  another  flight  of 
kestrels,  and  we  must  have  the  thirty-nine  articles  served  up  for 
a  daily  dish.  That  spider,  Master  Yeo,  has  grown  to  be  a  crony 
of  his  grace  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  is  busy  to  knit 
his  web  around  every  poor  Catholic  fly  of  the  province." 

"This  must  be  managed  without  temper,"  said  Darn  all,  the 
oldest  member  present,  except  the  Chancellor.  "  Our  adversaries 
will  find  their  advantage  in  our  resolves,  if  made  in  the  heat  of 
passion." 

"  You  say  true,"  replied  Talbot.  "lama  fool  in  my  humor  ; 
but  it  moves  me  to  the  last  extremity  of  endurance  to  be  ever 
goaded  with  this  shallow  and  hypocritical  pretence  of  sanctity. 
They  prate  of  the  wickedness  of  the  province,  forsooth  !  our  evil 
deportment,  and  loose  living,  and  notorious  scandal  !  All  will  be 
cured,  in  the  opinion  of  these  solemn  Pharisees,  by  turning  that 
good  man,  Lord  Charles,  and  his  friends  out  of  his  own  province, 
and  by  setting  up  parson  Yco  in  a  fat  benefice  under  the  wing 
of  an  established  church." 

"  Read  on,"  said  Lord  Baltimore,  "and  you  shall  see  the  sum 
of  all,  in  the  argument  that  it  is  not  fit  Papists  should  bear  rule 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  59 

over  the  free-born  subjects  of  the  English  crown  ;  and,  as  a 
conclusion  to  that,  a  summary  order  to  discharge  every  friend  of 
Our  church  from  my  employ." 

Talbot  read  the  letter  to  the  end. 

"  So  be  it  !"  he  ejaculated,  as  he  threw  the  letter  from  him, 
and  flung  himself  back  into  his  chair.  "  You  will  obey  this  high 
behest  ?  With  all  humbleness  we  will  thank  these  knaves  for 
their  many  condescensions,  and  their  good  favors.  Your  uncle, 
the  Chancellor  here,  our  old  frosted  comrade,  is  the  first  that 
your  Lordship  will  give  bare-headed  to  the  sky.  As  for  myself, 
I  have  been  voted  an  incarnate  devil  in  a  half  dozen  conclaves — 
and  so  Fendall  shall  be  the  surveyor.  I  hope  your  Lordship  will 
remember  that  I  have  a  military  command — a  sturdy  stronghold 
in  the  fort  of  Christina — and  some  stout  fellows  with  me  on  the 
border.  It  might  be  hard  to  persuade  them  to  part  company 
with  me." 

"  Peace,  I  pray  you,  peace  !"  interrupted  the  Proprietary ; 
"you  are  nettled,  Talbot,  and  that  is  not  the  mood  for  counsel." 

"  These  pious  cut-throats  here,"  said  Talbot,  "  who  talk  of 
our  degeneracy,  slander  us  to  the  whole  world  :  and,  faith,  I  am 
not  of  the  mind  to  bear  it !  I  speak  plainly  what  I  have  thought 
long  since — and  would  rather  do  than  speak.  I  would  arrest 
the  ringleaders  upon  a  smaller  scruple  of  proof  than  I  would  set 
a  vagrant  in  the  stocks.  You  have  Pendall  now,  my  Lord — I 
would  have  his  fellows  before  long  :  and  the  space  between 
taking  and  trying  should  not  add  much  to  the  length  of  their 
beards  : — between  trying  and  hanging,  still  less." 

"As  to  that,"  said  the  Proprietary,  "everyday  brings  us 
fresh  testimony  of  the  sedition  afoot,  and  we  shall  not  be  slow  to 
do  justice  on  the  parties.  We  have  good  information  of  the 
extent  of  the  plot  against  us,  and  but  wait  until  an  open  act 
shall  make  their  guilt  unquestionable.     Master  Coode  is  now 


60  HOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

upon  bail  only  because  we  were  somewhat  too  hasty  in  his  arrest. 
There  are  associates  of  Fendall's  at  work  who  little  dream  of  our 
acquaintance  with  their  designs." 

"  When  does  your  provincial  court  hold  its  sessions  ?"  in- 
quired the  Surveyor. 

"  In  less  than  a  month." 

"  It  should  make  sure  work  and  speedy,"  said  Talbot. 
"  Master  Fendall  should  find  himself  at  the  end  of  his  tether 
at  the  first  sitting." 

"  Ay,  and  Coode  too,"  said  one  of  the  council  :  "  notwith- 
standing that  the  burgesses  have  stepped  forward  to  protect  him. 
The  House  guessed  well  of  the  temper  against  your  Lordship  in 
England,  when  they  stood  up  so  hardily,  last  month,  in  favor  of 
Captain  Coode,  after  your  Lordship  had  commanded  his  expul- 
sion.    It  was  an  insolent  contumacy." 

"  In  truth,  we  have  never  had  peace  in  the  province,"  said 
another,  "  since  Fendall  was  allowed  to  return  from  his  banish- 
ment. That  man  hath  set  on  hotter,  but  not  subtler  spirits 
than  his  own.  He  has  a  quiet  craftiness  which  never  sleeps  nor 
loses  sight  of  his  purpose  of  disturbance." 

"  Alas  !"  said  the  Proprietary,  "  he  has  not  lacked  material 
to  work  with.  The  burgesses  have  been  disaffected  ever  since 
my  father's  death.  I  know  not  in  what  point  of  kindness  I  have 
erred  towards  them.  God  knows  I  would  cherish  affection,  not 
ill  will.     My  aim  has  ever  been  to  do  justice  to  all  men." 

"  Justice  is  not  their  aim,  my  Lord,"  exclaimed  Talbot. 
"  Oh,  this  zeal  for  church  is  a  pretty  weapon  !  and  honest 
Captain  Coode  a  dainty  champion  to  handle  it  !  I  would  cut 
the  spurs  from  that  fowl,  if  I  did  it  with  a  cleaver  !" 

"  He  is  but  the  fool  in  the  hands  of  his  betters,"  interposed 
Darnall.  "  This  discontent  has  a  broad  base.  There  are  many 
in  the  province  who,  if  they  will  not  take  an  open  part  against 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL  61 

us,  will  be  slow  to  rebuke  an  outbreak — many  who  will  counsel 
in  secret  who  dare  not  show  their  faces  to  the  sun." 

"  These  men  have  power  to  do  us  much  harm,"  said  Lord 
Baltimore  ;  "  and  I  would  entreat  you,  gentlemen,  consider, 
how,  by  concession  to  a  moderate  point,  which  may  comport 
with  our  honor,  we  may  allay  these  irritations.  Leaving  that 
question  for  your  future  advisement,  I  ask  your  attention  to  the 
letters.  The  King  has  commanded — for  it  is  scarce  less  than  a 
royal  mandate." 

"Your  Lordship,"  said  Talbot,  sarcastically,  "has  fallen 
under  his  Majesty's  disfavor.  You  have,  doubtless,  failed  some- 
what in  your  courtesies  to  Nell  Gvvynn,  or  the  gay  Duchess  ;  or 
have  been  wanting  in  some  observance  of  respect  to  old  Tom 
Killigrew,  the  King's  fool.  His  Majesty  is  not  wont  to  look  so 
narrowly  into  state  affairs." 

"Hold,  Talbot!"  interrupted  the  Proprietary.  "I  would 
not  hear  you  speak  slightingly  of  the  King.  He  has  been 
friendly  to  me,  and  I  will  not  forget  it.  Though  this  mandate 
come  in  his  name,  King  Charles,  I  apprehend,  knows  but  little 
of  the  matter.  He  has  an  easy  conscience  for  an  importunate 
suitor.  Oh,  it  grieves  me  to  the  heart,  after  all  my  father's  care 
for  the  province — and  surely  mine  has  been  no  less — it  grieves 
me  to  see  this  wayward  fortune  coming  over  our  hopes  like  a 
chill  winter,  when  we  looked  for  springtide,  with  its  happy  and 
cheerful  promises.  I  am  not  to  be  envied  for  my  prerogative. 
Here,  in  this  new  world,  I  have  made  my  bed,  where  I  had  no 
wish  but  to  lie  in  it  quietly  :  it  has  become  a  bed  of  thorns,  and 
cannot  bring  rest  to  me,  until  I  am  mingled  with  its  dust.  Well, 
since  rebellion  is  the  order  of  the  times,  I  must  e'en  myself  turn 
rebel  now  against  this  order." 

"  Wherein  might  it  be  obeyed,  my  Lord  V  asked  Darnall. 
"  You  have  already  given  all  the  rights  of  conscience  which  the 


62  EOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

freemen  could  ask,  and  the  demand  now  is  that  you  surrender 
your  own.  What  servant  would  your  Lordship  displace  ?  Look 
around  you :  is  Anthony  Warden  so  incapable,  or  so  hurtful  to 
your  service,  that  you  might  find  plea  to  dismiss  him  ?" 

"  There  is  no  better  man  in  the  province  than  Anthony 
Warden,"  replied  the  Proprietary,  with  warmth  ;  "  a  just  man  ; 
a  good  man  in  whatever  duty  you  scan  him  ;  an  upright,  faithful 
servant  to  his  post.  My  Lords  of  the  Ministry  would  not  and 
could  not,  if  they  knew  him,  ask  me  to  remove  that  man.  I  will 
write  letters  back  to  remonstrate  against  this  injustice." 

"  And  say  you  will  not  displace  a  man,  my  Lord,  come  what 
may!"  exclaimed  Talbot.  "This  battle  must  be  fought. — and 
the  sooner  the  better  !  Your  Lordship  will  find  your  justifica- 
tion in  the  unanimous  resolve  of  your  council." 

This  sentiment  was  echoed  by  all  present,  and  by  some  of 
the  more  discreet  an  admonition  was  added,  advising  the  Pro- 
prietary to  handle  the  subject  mildly  with  the  ministry,  in  a  tone 
of  kind  expostulation,  which,  as  it  accorded  with  Lord  Balti- 
more's own  feeling,  met  his  ready  acquiescence. 

After  despatching  some  business  of  less  concern,  the  members 
of  the  council  dispersed. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


An  old  worshipful  gentleman  -who  had  a  great  estate, 
That  kept  a  brave  old  house  at  a  bountiful  rate. 

The  Old  and  Young  Couktiee,, 

But  who  the  countless  charms  can  draw 

That  graced  his  mistress  true  ? 
Such  charms  the  old  world  seldom  saw, 

Nor  oft,  I  ween,  the  new. 
Her  raven  hair  plays  round  her  neck, 

Like  tendrils  of  the  vine ; 
Her  cheeks,  red,  dewy  rose-buds  deck, 

Her  eyes  like  diamonds  shine. 

Bryan  and  Pekeene. 


Anthony  Warden  had  resided  in  Maryland  for  forty  years 
before  the  period  of  this  story.  During  the  greater  portion  of 
this  time  he  performed  the  duties  of  the  Collector  of  the  Pro- 
prietary's revenues  in  the  port.  By  the  persuasion  of  Cecilius 
Calvert  he  had  become  a  settler  in  the  New  World,  where  he 
had  received  from  his  patron  the  grant  of  a  large  tract  of  land, 
which,  in  progress  of  time,  under  a  careful  course  of  husbandry, 
rendered  him  a  man  of  easy  fortune.  One  portion  of  this  tract 
lay  adjacent  to  the  town,  and  stretched  along  the  creek  of  St. 
Inigoe's,  constituting  an  excellent  farm  of  several  hundred  acres. 
Upon  this  land  the  Collector  had  dwelt  from  an  early  period  of 
his  settlement. 

A  certain  sturcliness  of  character  that  matched  the  perils  of 
that  adventurous  colonial  life,  and  a  vigorous  intellect,  gave  Mr 
Warden  great  authority  over  the  inhabitants  of  the  province, 


64  ROB     OP    THE     BOWL, 

which  was  increased  by  the  predominant  honesty  of  purpose  and 
plain,  unpretending-  directness  of  his  nature.  A  bountiful  purse 
and  jocund  temper  enabled  and  prompted  him  to  indulge,  almost 
without  stint,  that  hospitality  which  furnishes  the  most  natural 
and  appropriate  enjoyment  of  those  who  dwell  remote  from  the 
busy  marts  of  the  world  His  companionable  habits  had  left 
their  tokens  upon  his  exterior.  His  frame  was  corpulent,  his 
features  strongly  defined,  his  eye  dark  blue,  with  a  mastiff  kind- 
ness in  its  glance.  The  flush  of  generous  living  had  slightly 
overmastered  the  wind-and-weather  hue  of  his  complexion,  and 
given  it  the  tints  of  a  ripe  pear.  Seventy  years  had  beaten 
upon  his  poll  without  other  badge  of  conquest  than  that  of  a 
change  of  his  brown  locks  to  white  ; — their  volume  was  scarcely 
diminished,  and  they  still  fell  in  curls  upon  his  shoulders. 

Two  marriages  had  brought  him  a  large  family  of  children,  of 
whom  the  eldest  (the  only  offspring  of  his  first  nuptials)  was 
Alice  Warden,  a  maiden  lady  who  now,  well  advanced  in  life, 
occupied  the  highest  post  of  authority  in  the  household,  which 
had,  for  several  years  past,  been  transferred  to  her  by  the  demise 
of  the  second  wife.  His  sons  had  all  abandoned  the  paternal 
roof  in  the  various  pursuits  of  fortune,  leaving  behind  them,  be- 
sides Mistress  Alice,  a  sister,  the  youngest  of  the  flock,  who,  at 
the  epoch  at  which  I  am  about  to  present  her,  was  just  verging 
towards  womanhood. 

The  dwelling  of  the  Collector  stood  upon  the  high  bank  formed 
by  the  union  of  St.  Inigoe's  creek  and  St.  Mary's  river.  It  was, 
according  to  the  most  approved  fashion  of  that  day,  built  of  im- 
ported brick,  with  a  double  roof  penetrated  by  narrow  and  trian- 
gular-capped windows.  The  rooms  were  large  and  embellished 
with  carved  wainscots  and  a  profusion  of  chiseled  woodwork,  giv- 
ing them  an  elaborate  and  expensive  aspect.  This  main  building 
overlooked,  with  a  magisterial  and  protecting  air,  a  group  of  sin- 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL,  65 

gle-storied  offices  and  out-houses  which  were  clustered  around, 
one  of  which  was  appropriated  by  the  Collector  as  his  place  of 
business.  This  spacious  domicil,  with  its  broad  porch,  cottage- 
like appendages  and  latticed  sheds,  was  embosomed  in  the  shade 
of  elms  and  mulberries,  whose  brown  foliage,  fanned  by  the  au- 
tumnal breeze,  murmured  in  unison  with  the  plashing  tide  that 
beat  against  the  pebbles  immediately  below.  A  garden  in  the 
rear,  with  trellised  and  vine-clad  gateways,  and  walks  lined  with 
box,  furnished  good  store  of  culinary  dainties  ;  whilst  a  lawn,  in 
front,  occupying  some  two  or  three  acres,  and  bounded  by  the 
cliff  which  formed  the  headland  on  the  river,  lay  open  to  the  sun, 
and  gave  from  the  water  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  mansion. 
The  taste  displayed  in  these  embellishments,  the  neatness  of  the 
grounds,  the  low,  flower-spangled  hedge  of  thorn  that  guarded 
the  cliff,  the  clumps  of  rose  trees  and  other  ornamental  shrubs, 
disposed  to  gratify  the  eye  in  the  shifting  seasons  of  their  bloom, 
the  various  accessories  of  rustic  seats,  bowers  and  parterres — all 
united  to  present  an  agreeable  and  infallible  index  of  that  purity 
of  mind  which  brought  into  assemblage  such  simple  and  attractive 
elements  of  beauty. 

All  around  the  immediate  domain  of  the  dwelling-house  were 
orchards,  woodlands  and  cultivated  fields,  with  the  usual  barns 
and  other  structures  necessary  in  the  process  of  agriculture  ; — the 
whole  region  pi'esenting  a  level  plain,  some  fifty  or  sixty  feet  above 
the  tide,  of  singular  richness  as  a  landscape,  and  no  less  agreea- 
ble to  be  looked  upon  for  its  associations  with  the  idea  of  com- 
fortable independence  in  the  proprietor.  This  homestead  had 
obtained  the  local  designation  of  the  Rose  Croft, — a  name,  in 
some  degree,  descriptive  of  the  predominant  embellishment  of  the 
spot. 

In  hie  attire,  Master  Anthony  "Warden,  the  worshipful  Collec- 
tor (to  give  him  his  usual  style  of  address  in  the  province),  exhib- 


66  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

ited  some  tendency  towards  the  coxcombry  of  his  day.  It  was 
marked  by  that  scrupulous  observance  of  the  prerogative  of  rank 
and  age  which  characterised  the  costume  of  the  olden  time, — 
smacking  no  little  of  the  flavor  of  the  official  martinet.  Author- 
ity, amongst  our  ancestors,  was  wont  to  borrow  consequence  from 
show.  The  broad  line  which  separated  gentle  from  simple  was 
recognized,  in  those  days,  not  less  strongly  in  the  habiliments  of 
the  person  than  in  his  nurture  and  manners.  The  divisions  be- 
tween the  classes  of  society  were  not  more  authentically  distin- 
guished in  any  outward  sign,  than  in  the  embroidered  velvet  or 
cloth  of  the  man  of  wealth,  and  the  plain  serge,  worsted,  or  leather 
of  the  craftsman.  The  Collector  of  St.  Mary's,  on  festive  occa- 
sions, went  forth  arrayed  much  after  the  manner  in  which  Leslie 
has  represented  Sir  Roger  de  Coverly,  in  his  admirable  painting 
of  that  knight  ;  and  although  he  was  too  vain  of  his  natural  locks 
to  adopt  the  periwig  of  that  period,  yet  he  had  trained  his  luxu- 
riant tresses  into  a  studied  imitation  of  this  artificial  adornment 
His  embroidered  coat  of  drab  velvet,  with  wadded  skirts  and  huge 
open  cuffs,  his  lace  wristbands,  his  ample  vest,  and  white  lamb's 
wool  hose  rolled  above  his  knees,  his  buckled  shoe  and  three-cor- 
nered hat — all  adjusted  with  a  particularity  that  would  put  our 
modern  foppery  to  shame— gave  to  the  worthy  burgess  of  St. 
Mary's  a  substantial  ascendancy  and  an  unquestioned  regard,  that 
rendered  him,  next  to  the  Proprietary,  the  most  worshipful  per- 
sonage in  the  province. 

This  pedantry  of  costume  and  the  circumspect  carriage  which 
it  exacted,  were  pleasantly  contrasted  with  the  flowing  vivacity  of 
the  wearer,  engendering  by  their  concourse  an  amusing  compound, 
which  I  might  call  a  fettered  and  pinioned  alacrity  of  demeanor, 
the  rigid  stateliness  of  exterior  seeming  rather  ineffectually  to  en- 
p.ase,  as  a  half-bursting  chrysalis,  the  wings  of  a  gay  nature. 

Mr.  Warden  was  reputed  to  be  stubborn  in  opinion.     The 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  67 

good  people  of  the  town,  aware  of  his  pertinacity  in  this  particu- 
lar, had  no  mind  to  make  points  with  him,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
rather  corroborated  him  in  his  dogmatism  by  an  amiable  assenta- 
tion ;  so  that,  it  is  said,  he  grew  daily  more  peremptory.  This 
had  become  so  much  his  prerogative,  that  the  Lord  Proprietary 
himself  gave  way  to  it  with  as  good  a  grace  as  the  rest  of  the  in- 
habitants. 

It  may  be  imagined  that  so  general  a  submission  to  this  tem- 
per would  have  the  tendency  to  render  him  a  little  passionate. 
They  say  it  was  a  rich  sight  to  see  him  in  one  of  his  flashes,  which 
always  took  the  bystanders  by  surprise,  like  thunder  in  the  midst 
of  sunshine  ;  but  these  explosions  were  always  short-lived,  and 
rather  left  a  more  wholesome  and  genial  clearness  in  the  atmos- 
phere of  his  affections. 

The  household  at  the  Rose  Croft,  I  have  hinted,  was  regula- 
ted by  Mistress  Alice,  who  had,  some  time  before  our  acquaintance 
with  her,  reached  that  period  of  life  at  which  the  female  ambition 
for  display  is  prone  to  subside  into  a  love  of  domestic  pursuits.  It 
was  now  her  chief  worldly  care  and  delight  to  promote  the  com- 
fort of  those  who  congregated  arouucl  the  family  hearth.  In  the 
administration  of  this  office,  it  may  be  told  to  her  praise,  that  she 
manifested  that  unpretending  good  sense  which  is  a  much  more 
rare  and  estimable  quality  than  many  others  of  better  acceptation 
with  the  world.  As  was  natural  to  her  tranquil  position  and 
kindly  temper,  her  feelings  had  taken  a  ply  towards  devotion, 
which  Father  Pierre  did  not  omit  to  encourage  and  confirm  by 
all  the  persuasions  enjoined  by  the  discipline  of  the  Romish  church. 
The  gentle  solicitude  with  which  the  ministers  of  that  ancient 
faith  watch  and  assist  the  growing  zeal  of  its  votaries  ;  the  cap- 
tivation  of  its  venerable  ceremonies,  and  the  familiar  and  endear- 
ing tone  in  which  it  addresses  itself  to  the  regard  of  its  children, 
sufficiently  account  for  its  sway  over  so  large  a  portion  of  man- 


DO  ROB     OF     THE     BOW,-,. 

kind,  and  especially  for  its  hold  upon  the  affections  of  the  female 
breast. 

Upon  the  thoughtful  character  of  Alice  Warden  this  influence 
shed  a  mellow  and  attractive  light,  and  gave  to  the  perform- 
ance of  her  daily  duties  that  orderly  and  uninterrupted  cheer- 
fulness which  showed  the  content  of  her  spirit.  She  found 
an  engrossing  labor  of  love  in  superintending  the  education  of  her 
sister.  Blanche  Warden  had  no?/  arrived  within  a  span  of  her 
eighteenth  year.  Alice  had  guarded  her  path  from  infancy  with 
a  mother's  tenderness,  ministering  to  her  enjoyments  and  instilling 
into  her  mind  all  that  her  own  attainments,  circumscribed,  it  is 
true,  within  a  narrow  circle,  enabled  her  to  teach.  The  young 
favorite  had  grown  up  under  this  domestic  nurture,  aided  by  the 
valuable  instructions  of  father  Pierre,  who  had  the  guidance  of 
her  studies,  a  warm-hearted  girl,  accomplished  much  beyond  the 
scant  acquisitions  ordinarily,  at  that  day,  within  the  reach  of  wo- 
men, and  distinguished  for  that  confiding  gentleness  of  heart  and 
purity  of  thought  and  word  which  the  caresses  of  friends,  the  per- 
ception of  the  domestic  affections,  and  seclusion  from  the  busy 
world,  are  likely  to  engender  in  an  ardent  and  artless  nature. 

Of  the  beauty  of  the  Rose  of  St.  Mary's  (for  so  contempora- 
ries were  wont  to  designate  her)  tradition  speaks  with  a  poetical 
fervor.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  Maryland,  far-famed  for  lovely 
women,  hath  not  since  had  a  fairer  daughter.  The  beauty  which 
lives  in  expression  was  eminently  hers  ;  that  beauty  which  is 
scarcely  to  be  caught  by  the  painter, — which,  changeful  as  the 
surface  of  the  welling  fountain  where  all  the  fresh  images  of  nature 
are  for  ever  shifting  and  sparkling  with  the  glories  of  the  mirror, 
defies  the  limner's  skill.  In  stature  she  was  neither  short  nor  tall, 
but  distinguished  by  a  form  of  admirable  symmetry  both  for  grace 
and  activity.  Her  features,  it  is  scarce  necessary  to  say,  were 
regular, — but  not  absolutely  so,  for,  I  know  not  why,  perfect  reg< 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  69 

ularity  is  a  hindrance  to  expression.  Eyes  of  dark  hazel,  with 
long-  lashes  that  gave,  by  tarns,  a  pensive  and  playful  light  to  her 
face,  serving,  at  will,  to  curtain  from  the  world  the  thoughts  which 
otherwise  would  have  been  read  by  friend  and  foe  ;  hair  of  a  rich 
brown,  glossy,  and,  in  some  lights,  even  like  the  raven's  wing, — ■ 
ample  in  volume  and  turning  her  brow  and  shoulders  almost  into 
marble  by  the  contrast  ;  a  complexion  of  spotless,  healthful  white 
and  red  ;  a  light,  elastic  step,  responding  to  the  gaiety  of  her 
heart  ;  a  voice  melodious  and  clear,  gentle  in  its  tones  and  vari- 
ous in  its  modulation,  according  to  the  feeling  it  uttered  ; — these 
constituted  no  inconsiderable  items  in  the  inventory  of  her  per- 
fections. Her  spirit  was  blithe,  affectionate  and  quick  in  its  sym- 
pathies ;  her  ear  credulous  to  believe  what  was  good,  and  slow  to 
take  an  evil  report.  The  innocence  of  her  thoughts  kindled  an 
habitual  light  upon  her  countenance,  which  was  only  dimmed  when 
the  rough  handling  by  fortune  of  friend  or  kinsman  was  recounted 
to  her,  and  brought  forth  the  ready  tear — for  that  was  ever  as 
ready  as  her  smile. 

I  might  tell  more  of  Blanche  Warden,  but  that  my  task  com- 
pels me  to  hasten  to  the  matter  of  my  story. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  silk  well  could  she  twist  and  twine, 

And  make  the  fine  march -pine, 

And  with  the  needle  work  ; 

And  she  could  help  the  priest  to  say 

His  matins  on  a  holi  lay 

And  sing  a  psalm  in  kirk. 

DOWSABEL. 


With  such  attractions  for  old  and  young  it  will  readily  be  be- 
lieved that  the  Rose  Croft  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  inhabitants 
of  St.  Mary's.  The  maidens  gathered  around  Blanche  as  a  May- 
day queen  ;  the  matrons  possessed  in  Mistress  Alice  a  discreet 
and  kind  friend,  and  the  more  sedate  part  of  the  population  found 
an  agreeable  host  in  the  worthy  official  himself. 

The  family  of  the  Lord  Proprietary  sustained  the  most  inti- 
mate relations  with  this  household.  It  is  true  that  Lady  Balti- 
more, being  feeble  in  health  and  stricken  with  grief  at  the  loss  of 
her  son,  which  yet  hung  with  scarcely  abated  poignancy  upon  her 
mind,  was  seldom  seen  beyond  her  own  threshold  ;  but  his  Lord- 
ship's sister,  the  Lady  Maria — as  she  was  entitled  in  the  province 
— was  a  frequent  and  ever  most  welcome  guest.  "Whether  this  good 
lady  had  the  advantage  of  the  Proprietary  in  years,  would  be  an 
impertinent  as  well  as  an  unprofitable  inquiry,  since  no  chronicler 
within  my  reach  has  thought  fit  to  instruct  the  world  on  this 
point ;  and,  if  it  were  determined,  the  fact  could  neither  heighten 
nor  diminish  the  sober  lustre  of  her  virtues.  Suffice  it  that  she 
was  a  stirring,  tidy  little  woman,  who  moved  about  with  iudefat- 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  71 

igable  zeal  in  the  acquittal  of  the  manifold  duties  which  her  large 
participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  town  exacted  of  her — the  Lady 
Bountiful  of  the  province  who  visited  the  sick,  fed  the  hungry,  and 
clothed  the  naked.  In  the  early  morning  she  tripped  through  the 
dew,  with  scrupulous  regularity,  to  mass  ;  generally  superintended 
the  decorations  of  the  chapel  in  preparation  for  the  festivals  ;  gos- 
sipped  with  the  neighbors  after  service,  and,  in  short,  kept  her 
hands  full  of  business. 

Her  interest  in  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  the  townspeople 
grew  partly  out  of  her  temperament,  and  partly  out  of  a  feudal 
pride  that  regarded  them  as  the  liegemen  of  her  brother  the  chief 
■ — a  relation  which  she  considered  as  creating  an  obligation  to 
extend  to  them  her  countenance  upon  all  proper  occasions  :  and, 
sooth  to  say,  that  countenance  was  not  perhaps  the  most  comely 
in  the  province,  being  somewhat  sallow,  but  it  was  as  full  of  bene- 
volence as  became  so  exemplary  a  spirit.  She  watched  peculiarly 
what  might  be  called  the  under-growth,  and  was  very  successful 
in  worming  herself  into  the  schemes  and  plans  of  the  young  peo- 
ple. Her  entertainments  at  the  mansion  were  frequent,  and  no 
less  acceptable  to  the  gayer  portion  of  the  inhabitants  than  they 
were  to  her  brother.  On  these  occasions  she  held  a  little  court, 
over  which  she  presided  with  an  amiable  despotism,  and  fully 
maintained  the  state  of  the  Lord  Proprietary.  By  these  means 
the  Lady  Maria  had  attained  to  an  over-shadowing  popularity 
in  the  town. 

Blanche  Warden  had,  from  infancy,  engaged  her  deepest  soli- 
citude ;  and  as  she  took  to  herself  no  small  share  of  the  merit 
of  that  nurture  by  which  her  favorite  had  grown  in  accomplish- 
ment, she  felt,  in  the  maiden's  praises  which  everywhere  rang 
through  the  province,  an  almost  maternal  delight.  Scarcely 
a  day  passed  over  without  some  manifestation  of  this  concern. 
New  patterns  of   embroidery,  music  brought  by  the  last  ship 


12  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

from  home,  some  invitation  of  friendship  or  letter  of  counsel, 
furnished  occasions  of  daily  intercourse  between  the  patroness 
and  the  maiden  <>f  the  Rose  Croft  ;  and  not  unfrequently  the 
venerable  spinster  herself — attended  by  a  familiar  in  the  shape 
of  a  little  Indian  girl,  Natta,  the  daughter  of  Pamesack,  arrayed 
in  the  trinketry  of  her  tribe — alighted  from  an  ambling  pony  at 
the  Collector's  door,  with  a  face  full  of  the  importance  of  busi- 
ness. Perchance,  there  might  be  an  occasion  of  merry-making 
in  contemplation,  and  then  the  lady  Maria  united  in  consultation 
with  sister  Alice  concerning  the  details  of  the  matter,  and  it  was 
debated,  with  the  deliberation  due  to  so  interesting  a  subject, 
whether  Blanche  should  wear  her  black  or  her  crimson  velvet 
bodice,  her  sarsnet  or  her  satin,  and  such  other  weighty  matters 
as  have  not  yet  lost  their  claims  to  thoughtful  consideration 
on  similar  emergencies. 

In  the  frequent  interchange  of  the  offices  of  good  neighbor- 
hood between  the  families  of  the  Proprietary  and  of  the  Collec- 
tor, it  could  scarce  fall  out  that  the  Secretary  should  not  be  a 
laige  participator.  The  shyness  of  the  student  and  the  habitual 
self-restraint  taught  him  in  the  seminary  of  Antwerp,  in  some 
degree  screened  from  common  observation  the  ardent  character 
of  Albert  Yerheyclen.  The  deferential  relation  which  he  held 
to  his  patron  threw  into  his  demeanor  a  reserve  expressive 
of  humility  rather  than  of  diffidence  ;  but  under  this  there 
breathed  a  temperament  deeply  poetical,  and  a  longing  for  enter- 
prise, that  all  the  discipline  of  his  school  and  the  constraint 
of  his  position 'could  scarce  suppress.  He  was  now  at  that  time 
of  life  when  the  imagination  is  prone  to  dally  with  illusions  ; 
when  youth,  not  yet  yoked  to  the  harness  of  the  world's  business, 
turns  its  spirit  forth  to  seek  adventure  in  the  domain  of  fancy. 
He  was  thus  far  a  dreamer,  and  dreamed  of  gorgeous  scenes  and 
bold  exploits  and  rare  fortune.     He  had  the  poet's  instinct  to 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL  13 

perceive  the  beautiful,  and  his  fancy  hung  it  with  richer  garlands 
and  charmed  him  into  a  worshipper.  A  mute  worshipper  he 
was,  of  the  Rose  of  St.  Mary's,  from  the  first  moment  that 
he  gazed  upon  her.  That  outward  form  of  Blanche  Warden, 
and  the  motion  and  impulses  of  that  spirit,  might  not  often  haunt 
the  Secretary's  dream  without  leaving  behind  an  image  that 
should  live  for  ever  in  his  heart.  To  him  the  thought  was 
enchantment,  that  in  this  remote  wild,  far  away  from  the  world's  ' 
knowledge,  a  flower  of  such  surpassing  loveliness  should  drink  the 
glorious  light  in  solitude — for  so  he,  schooled  in  populous  cities, 
deemed  of  this  sequestered  province — and  with  this  thought 
came  breathings  of  poetry  which  wrought  a  transfiguration  of 
the  young  votary  and  lifted  him  out  of  the  sphere  of  this  "  work- 
ing-day woi'ld."  Day  after  day,  week  after  week,  and  rnon-th 
after  month,  the  Secretary  watched  the  footsteps  of  the  beautiful 
girl ;  but  still  it  was  silent,  unpresuming  adoration.  It  entered 
not  into  his  mind  to  call  it  love  ;  it  was  the  very  humbleness  of 
devotion. 

Meantime  the  maiden,  unconscious  of  her  own  rare  per- 
fections, and  innocent  of  all  thought  of  this  secret  homage, 
found  Master  Albert  much  the  most  accomplished  and  gentle 
youth  she  had  ever  seen.  He  had,  without  her  observing  how 
it  became  so,  grown  to  be,  in  some  relation  or  other,  part  and 
parcel  of  her  most  familiar  meditations.  His  occasions  of  busi- 
ness with  the  Collector  brought  him  so  often  to  the  Rose  Croft, 
that  if  they  happened  not  every  day,  they  were,  at  least,  inci- 
dents of  such  common  occurrence  as  to  be  noted  by  no  ceremony 
■ — indeed,  rather  to  be  counted  on  in  the  domestic  routine.  The 
Collector  was  apt  to  grow  restless  if,  by  any  chance,  they  were 
suspended,  as  it  was  through  the  Secretary's  mission  he  received 
the  tidings  of  the  time  as  well  as  the  official  commands  of  the 
Proprietary  ;  whilst  Albert's  unobtrusive  manners,  his  soft  step, 
4 


74  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

and  pretensiouless  familiarity  with  the  household  pnt  no  one  out 
of  the  way  to  give  him  welcome.  His  early  roaming  in  summer 
sometimes  brought  him,  at  sunrise,  beneath  the  bank  of  the 
Rose  Croft,  where  he  looked,  with  the  admiration  of  an  artist, 
upon  the  calm  waters  of  St.  Iftigoe's  Creek,  and  upon  the  forest 
that  flung  its  shades  over  its  farther  shores.  Not  unfrequently, 
the  fresh  and  blooming  maiden  had  left  her  conch  as  early  aa 
himself,  and  tended  her  plants  before  the  dew  had  left  the  leaves, 
and  thus  it  chanced  that  she  found  him  in  his  vocation  ;  and, 
like  him,  she  took  pleasure  in  gazing  on  that  bright  scene,  when 
it  was  the  delight  of  both  to  tell  each  other  how  beautiful  it 
was.  And  when,  in  winter,  the  rain  pattered  from  the  eaves 
and  the  skies  were  dark,  the  Secretary,  muffled  in  his  cloak, 
took  his  way  to  the  Collector's  mansion  and  helped  the  maiden 
to  beguile  the  tedious  time.  Even  "when  lay  the  snow  upon  a 
level  with  the  hedge,"  the  two  long  miles  of  unbeaten  track  did 
not  stop  his  visit,  for  the  Secretary  loved  the  adventure  of  such 
a  journey  ;  and  Blanche  often  smiled  to  see  how  manfully  he 
endured  n,  and  how  light  he  made  of  the  snow-drift  which  the 
wind  had  sometimes  heaped  up  into  billows,  behind  which  the 
feather  of  his  bonnet  might  not  be  discovered  while  he  sat  upon 
his  horse. 

In  this  course  of  schooling  Blanche  and  Albert  grew  into  a 
near  intimacy,  and  the  maiden  became  dependent  upon  the 
Secretary  for  some  share  of  her  happiness,  without  being  aware 
of  it.  Master  Albert  had  an  exquisite  touch  of  the  lute  and  a 
rich  voice  to  grace  it,  and  Blanche  found  many  occasions  to 
tax  his  skill :  he  had  a  gallant  carriage  on  horseback,  and'  she 
needed  the  service  of  a  cavalier  :  he  was  expert  in  the  provincial 
sport  of  hawking,  and  had  made  such  acquaintance  with  Blanche's 
merlin  that  scarce  any  one  else  could  assist  the  maiden  in  casting 
off  Ariel  to  a  flight.     In  short,  Blanche  followed  the  bent  of  her 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWI^  15 

own  ingenuous  and  truthful  nature,  and  did  full  justice  to  the 
Secretary's  ^various  capacity  to  please  her,  by  putting  his  talents 
in  requisition  with  an  unchidden  freedom,  and  without  once 
pausing  to  explore  the  cause  why  Master  Albert  always  came 
so  opportunely  to  her  thoughts.  Doubtless,  if  she  had  had  the 
wit  to  make  this  inquiry  the  charm  of  her  liberty  would  have 
been  broken,  and  a  sentinel  would,  ever  after,  have  checked  the 
wandering  of  her  free  footstep. 

The  Collector,  in  regard  to  this  intercourse,  was  sound 
asleep.  His  wise  head  was  taken  up  with  the  concerns  of 
the  province,  his  estate,  and  the  discussion  of  opinions  that 
had  little  affinity  to  the  topics  likely  to  interest  the  meditations 
of  a  young  maiden.  He  was  not  apt  to  see  a  love-affair, 
even  if  it  lay,  like  a  fallen  tree,  across  his  path,  much  less 
to  hunt  it  out  when  it  lurked  like  a  bird  amongst  the  flowers 
that  grew  in  the  shady  coverts  by  the  wayside.  The  astuteness 
of  the  lady  Maria,  however,  was  not  so  much  at  fault,  and 
she  soon  discovered,  what  neither  Blanche  nor  Albert  had 
sufficiently  studied  to  make  them  aware  of  their  own  category. 
But  the  Secretary  was  in  favor  with  the  lady  Maria,  and 
so  she  kept  her  own  counsel,  as  well  as  a  good-natured  watch 
upon  the  progress  of  events. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Towards  noon  of  the  day  on  which  tie  council  held  their 
session,  a  troop  of  maidens  were  seen  issuing  from  the  chapel. 
Their  number  might  have  been  eight  or  ten.  The  orderly 
step  with  which  they  departed  from  the  door  was  exchanged 
for  a  playful  haste  in  grouping  together  when  they  got  beyond 
the  immediate  precincts  of  the  place  of  worship.  Their 
buoyant  carriage  and  lively  gesticulations  betokened  the 
elasticity  of  health  which  was  still  more  unequivocally  shown 
in  their  ruddy  complexions  and  well  rounded  forms. 

Their  path  lay  across  the  grassy  plain  towards  the  town, 
and  passed  immediately  within  the  space  embowered  by  au 
ancient,  spreading  poplar,  scarce  a  hundred  paces  in  front 
of  the  chapel.  When  the  bevy  reached  this  spot,  they  made 
a  halt,  and  gathered  round  one  of  their  number,  who  seemed 
lo  be  the  object  of  a  mirthful  and  rather  tumultuary 
importunity.  The  individual  thus  beset  was  Blanche  Warden. 
Together  with  a  few  elderly  dames,  who  were  at  this  moment 
standing  at  the  door  of  the  chapel  in  parley  with  Father 
Pierre,  this  troop  had  constituted  the  whole  congregation 
who  had  that  morning  attended  the  service  of  the  festival 
of  St    Bridget. 

"Holy  mother,  how  I  am  set  upon  !"  exclaimed  Blanche,  as, 
half  smiling  and  half  earnest,  she  turned  her  back  against  the 
trunk   of  the    tree.     "  Have  I  not  said  I  could  not  ?     Why 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  tt 

should  my  birth-day  be  so  remembered  that  all  the '  town  must 
be  talking  about  it  ?" 

"You  did  promise,"  said  one  of  the  party,  "or  at  least, 
Mistress  Alice  promised  for  you,  full  six  months  ago,  that  when 
you  came  to  eighteen  we  should  have  a  merry-making  at  the 
Rose  Croft." 

"It  would  not  be  seemly — I  should  be  thought  bold," 
replied  the  maiden,  "  to  be  turning  my  birth-day  into  a  feast- 
Indeed,  I  must  not  and  cannot,  playmates." 

"  There  is  no  must  not  nor  cannot  in  our  books,  Blanche 
Warden,"  exclaimed  another,  "but  simply  we  will.  There  is 
troth  plighted  for  it,  and  that's  enough  for  us.  So  we  hold  to 
that,  good  Blanche." 

"  Yes,  good  Blanche  !  gentle  Blanche  !  sweetheart,  we  hold 
to  that !"  cried  the  whole  party,  in  a  clamorous  onset. 

"  Truly,  Grace  Blackiston,  you  will  have  Father  Pierre 
checking  us  for  noisy  behavior,"  said  the  maiden.  "  You  see 
that  he  is  now  looking  towards  us.  It  is  a  pretty  matter  to 
make  such  a  coil  about  !  I  marvel,  has  no  one  ever  been 
eighteen  before  !" 

"This  clay  se'nnight,"  replied  the  arch  girl  to  whom  this 
reprimand  was  addressed,  "  will  be  the  first  day,  Blanche  War- 
den, the  Rose  of  St.  Mary's  has  ever  seen  eighteen  ;  and  it  will 
be  the  last  I  trow  :  and  what  comes  and  goes  but  once  in  the 
wide  world  should  be  accounted  a  rare  thing,  and  rarities  should 
be  noticed,  sweetheart."  » 

"  If  I  was  coming  eighteen,"  said  a  damsel  who  scarce 
reached  as  high  as  Blanche's  shoulder,  "  and  had  as  pretty  a 
house  for  a  dance  as  the  Rose  Croft,  there  should  be  no  lack  of 
sport  amongst  the  townspeople." 

"It  is  easy  to  talk  on  a  two  years'  venture,  little  Madge," 
replied  Blanche  ;  "for  that  is  far  enough  off  to  allow  space  for 


78  BOB     OP     THE     BOWL. 

boasting.  But  gently,  clear  playmates  !  do  not  clamor  so  loud 
I  would  do  your  bidding  with  good  heart  if  I  thought  it  would 
not  be  called  something  fro  ward  in  me  to  be  noising  my  age 
abroad,  as  if  it  was  my  lady  herself." 

"We  will  advise  with  Father  Pierre  and  Lady  Maria," 
responded  Grace  Blackiston  ;  "they  are  coming  this  way." 

At  this  moment  the  reverend  priest,  and  the  ladies  with 
whom  he  had  been  in  conversation,  approached.  The  sister  of 
the  Proprietary  was  distinguished  as  well  by  her  short  stature 
and  neat  attire,  as  by  her  little  Indian  attendant,  who  followed 
bearing  the  lady's  missal.  The  tall  figure  of  Father  Pierre, 
arrayed  in  his  black  tunic  and  belt,  towered  above  his  female 
companions.  He  bore  his  square  bonnet  of  black  cloth  in  his 
hand,  disclosing  a  small  silk  cap  closely  fitted  to  his  crown, 
fringed  around  with  the  silver  locks  which,  separating  on  his 
brow,  gave  the  grace  of  age  to  a  countenance  full  of  benignity. 

The  presence  of  the  churchman  subdued  the  eager  gaiety  01 
the  crowd,  and  two  or  three  of  the  maidens  ran  up  to  him  with 
an  affectionate  familiarity  to  make  him  acquainted  with  the 
subject  of  their  contention. 

"  Father,"  said  Grace  Blackiston,  "  we  have  a  complaint  to 
lodge  against  Mistress  Blanche  for  a  promise-breaker.  Yoa 
must  counsel  her,  father,  to  her  duty." 

"  Ah,  my  child  !  pretty  Blanche  !"  exclaimed  the  priest, 
with  the  alacrity  of  his  native  French  temper,  as  he  took  the 
assailed  damsel  by  the  hand,  "  what  have  they  to  say  against 
you  ?     I  will  be  your  friend  as  well  as  your  judge." 

"  The  maidens,  father,"  replied  Blanche,  "  have  taken  leave 
of  their  wits,  and  have  beset  me  like  madcaps  to  give  them  a 
dance  at  the  Rose  Croft  on  my  birth-day.  And  I  have  stood  on 
aiy  refusal,  father  Pierre,  as  for  a  matter  that  would  bring  me 
into  censure  for  pertness — as  I  am  sure  you  will  say  it  would — ■ 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  19 

with  worshipful  people,  that  a  damsel  who  should  be  modest  in 
her  behavior,  should  so  thrust  herself  forward  to  be  observed." 

"  And  we  do  not  heed  that,  Father  Pierre,"  interrupted 
Grace  Blaekiston,  who  assumed  to  be  the  spokeswoman  of  the 
party,  "holding  it  a  scruple  more  nice  than  wise.  Blanche  has 
a  trick  of  standing  back  more  than  a  maiden  needs.  And, 
besides,  we  say  that  Mistress  Alice  is  bound  by  pledge  of  word, 
and  partly  Blanche,  too — for  she  stood  by  and  said  never  a 
syllable  against  it — that  we  should  have  good  cheer  and  dancing 
on  that  day  at  the  Bose  Croft.  It  is  the  feast  of  the  Blessed 
Tirgin,  Terese,  and  we  would  fain  persuade  Blanche  that  the 
festival  should  be  kept  for  the  sake  of  her  birth-day  saint." 

"  My  children,"  said  the  priest,  who  during  this  debate  stood 
in  the  midst  of  the  blooming  troop,  casting  his  glances  from  one 
to  another  with  the  pleased  expression  of  an  interested  partaker 
of  their  mirth,  and,  at  the  same  time,  endeavoring  to  assume  a 
countenance  of  mock  gravity,  "  we  will  consider  this  matter  with 
impartial  justice.  And,  first,  we  will  hear  all  that  Mistress 
Blanche  has  to  say.  It  is  a  profound  subject.  Do  you  admit 
the  promise,  my  child  ?" 

"  I  do  not  deny,  Father  Pierre,  that  last  Easter,  when  we 
met  and  danced  at  Grace  Blackiston's,  my  sister  Alice  did  make 
some  promise,  and  I  said  nothing  against  it.  But  it  was  an  idle 
speech  of  sister  Alice,  which  I  thought  no  more  of  till  now  ;  and 
now  should  not  have  remembered  it  if  these  wild  mates  of  mine 
had  not  sung  it  in  my  ear  with  such  clamor  as  must  have  made 
you  think  we  had  all  gone  mad." 

"  It  is  honestly  confessed,"  said  Father  Pierre  ;  "  and  though 
I  heard  the  outcry  all  the  way  to  the  church  door,  yet  I  did  not 
deem  the  damsels  absolutely  mad,  as  you  supposed.  I  am  an 
old  man,  my  child,  and  I  have  been  taught,  by  my  experience,  in 
what  key  seven,  eight,  or  nine  young  girls  will  make  knowD 


80  BOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

their  desires  when  they  are  together :  and,  truly,  it  is  their 
nature  to  speak  all  at  the  same  time.  They  speak  more  than 
they  listen — ha,  ha  !  But  we  shall  be  mistaken  if  we  conclude 
they  are  mad." 

"  Blanche,  love,"  interposed  the  Lady  Maria,  "  you  have 
scarce  given  a  good  reason  for  gainsaying  the  wish  of  the  dam- 
sels. Have  a  care  or  you  may  find  me  a  mutineer  on  this  ques- 
tion." 

"  That's  a  rare  lady — a  kind  lady  !"  shouted  several.  "]STow, 
Blanche,  you  have  no  word  of  denial  left." 

"  I  am  at  mercy,"  said  the  maiden,  "if  my  good  mistress,  the 
Lady  Maria,  is  not  content.  Whatever  my  sister  Alice  and  my 
father  shall  approve,  and  you,  dear  lady,  shall  say  befits  my  state, 
that  will  I  undertake  right  cheerfully.  I  would  pleasure  the 
whole  town  in  the  way  of  merry-making,  if  I  may  do  so  without 
seeming  to  set  too  much  account  upon  so  small  a  matter  as  my 
birth-day.  I  but  feared  it  would  not  be  well  taken  in  one  so 
young  as  I  am." 

"  I  will  answer  it  to  the  town,"  said  the  Lady  Maria.  "It 
shall  be  done  as  upon  my  motion  ;  and  Mistress  Alice  shall  take 
order  in  the  matter  as  a  thing  wherein  you  had  no  part.  Will 
that  content  you,  Blanche  ?" 

"  I  will  be  ruled  in  all  things  by  my  dear  lady,"  replied  the 
maiden.     "  You  will  speak  to  my  father  ?" 

"  It  shall  be  my  special  duty  to  look  after  it  forthwith," 
responded  the  lady. 

"  Luckily,"  said  Father  Pierre,  laughing,  "this  great  business 
is  settled  without  the  aid  of  the  church.  Well,  I  have  lost  some 
of  my  consequence  in  the  winding  up,  and  the  Lady  Maria  is  in 
the  ascendant.  I  will  have  my  revenge  by  being  as  merry  as 
any  of  you  at  the  feast.     So,  good  day,  mes  enfans  !" 

With  this  sally,  the  priest  left  the  company  and  retired  to  his 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  81 

dwelling  hard  by  the  chapel.     The  Lady  Maria  and  her  elderly 
companions  moved  towards  the  town,  whilst  the  troop  of  damsels 
with  increased  volubility  pursued  their  noisy  triumph,  and  with 
rapid  steps  hastened  to  their  several  homes. 
4* 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Crow  and  Archer  presented  a  busy  scene  on  the  evening 
of  the  day  referred  to  in  the  last  chapter.  A  report  had  been 
lately  spread  through  the  country  that  the  brig  Olive  Branch — ■ 
an  occasional  trader  between  the  province  and  the  coasts  of  Hol- 
land and  England — had  arrived  at  St.  Mary's.  In  consequence 
of  this  report  there  had  been,  during  the  last  two  days,  a  con- 
siderable accession  to  the  usual  guests  of  the  inn,  consisting  of 
travellers  both  by  land  and  water.  Several  small  sloops  and 
other  craft  had  come  into  the  harbor,  and  a  half  score  inland 
proprietors  had  journeyed  from  their  farms  on  horseback,  and 
taken  up  their  quarters  under  the  snug  roof  of  Garret  Weasel. 
The  swarthy  and  gaunt  watermen,  arrayed  in  the  close  jackets 
and  wide  kilt-like  breeches  and  in  the  party-colored,  woollen 
caps  peculiar  to  their  vocation,  were  seen  mingling  in  the  tap- 
room with  the  more  substantial  cultivators  of  the  soil.  A  few 
of  the  burghers  of  St.  Mary's  were  found  in  the  same  groups, 
drawn  thither  by  the  love  of  company,  the  occasions,  perchance, 
of  business,  or  the  mere  attraction  of  an  evening  pot  and  pipe. 
The  greater  portion  of  this  assemblage  were  loitering  between  the 
latticed  bar  of  the  common  room,  and  the  quay  in  front  of  the 
house,  which  had  somewhat  of  the  occupation  and  bustle  of  a 
little  exchange.  On  a  bench,  in  one  corner  of  the  tap-room, 
sat,  in  a  ragged,  patched  coat  resembling  a  pea-jacket,  a  saucy, 
vagrant-looking  fiddler,  conspicuous  for  a  red  face  and  a  playful 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL,  83 

light  blue  eye  ;  he  wore  a  dingy,  pliant  white  hat,  fretted  at  the 
rim,  set  daintily  on  one  side  of  his  head,  from  beneath  which 
his  yellow  locks  depended  over  either  cheek,  completely  covering 
his  ears  :  and  all  the  while  scraped  his  begrimed  and  greasy 
instrument  to  a  brisk  tune,  beating  time  upon  the  floor  with  a 
huge  hob-nailed  shoe.  This  personage  had  a  vagabond  popularity 
in  the  province  under  the  name  of  Whjj)f  JhjLJilais— a  designa- 
tion no  less  suited  to  his  musical  commodity  than  to  the  locality 
of  his  ostensible  habitation,  which  was  seated  on  the  flats  of 
Patuxent,  not  above  fifteen  miles  from  St.  Mary's,  where  he  was 
tenant  of  a  few  acres  of  barren  marsh  and  a  lodge  or  cabin  not 
much  larger  than  a  good  dog  kennel. 

Will's  cheef  compeer  and  brother  in  taste  and  inclination, 
though  of  more  affluent  fortune,  was  Dick_JPagan,  or  Driying 
Dick  according  to  his  more  familiar  appellation,  the  courier  who 
had  lately  brought  the  missives  from  James  Town  ;  a  hard- 
favored,  weather-beaten,  sturdy,  little  bow-legged  fellow,  in 
russet  boots  and  long  spurs,  and  wrapped  in  a  coarse  drab 
doublet  secured  by  a  leathern  belt,  with  an  immense  brass  buckle 
in  front.  Old  Pamesack,  likewise,  formed  a  part  of  the  group, 
and  might  have  been  observed  seated  on  a  settle  at  the  door, 
quietly  smoking  his  pipe,  as  unmoved  by  the  current  of  idlers 
which  ebbed  and  flowed  past  him,  as  the  old  barnacled  pier 
of  the  quay  by  the  daily  flux  and  reflux  of -the  river. 

Such  were  the  guests  who  now  patronized  the  thriving  estab- 
lishment of  "Master  Weasel.  These  good  people  were  not  only 
under  the  care,  but  also  under  the  command  of  our  hostess  the 
dame  Dorothy,  who  was  a  woman  by  no  means  apt  to  overlook 
her  prerogative.  The  dame,  having  been  on  a  visit  to  a  neigh- 
bor, did  not  show  herself  in  the  tap-room  until  near  the  close  of 
the  day  ;  in  the  mean  time  leaving  her  customers  to  the  un- 
chidden  enjoyment  of  their  entertainment,  which  was  administered 


84  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

by  Matty  Scamper, — a  broad-chested,  red-haired  and  indefati- 
gable damsel,  who,  in  her  capacity  of  adjutant  to  the  hostess,  had 
attained  to  great  favor  with  the  patrons  of  the  tavern  by  her 
imperturbable  good  nature  and  ready  answer  to  all  calls  of  busi- 
ness. As  for  Master  Weasel,  never  did  pleasure-loving  monarch 
more  cheerfully  surrender  his  kingdom  to  the  rule  of  his  minister 
than  he  to  whatever  power  for  the  time  was  uppermost, — 
whether  the  dame  herself,  or  her  occasional  vicegerent,  Matty  of 
the  Saucepan. 

Matty's  rule,  however,  was  now  terminated  by  the  arrival  of 
Mistress  Weasel  herself.  It  is  fit  I  should  give  my  reader  some 
perception  of  the  exterior  of  the  hostess,  as  a  woman  of  un- 
doubted impression  and  consideration  with  the  townspeople. 
Being  now  in  her  best  attire,  which  was  evidently  put  on  with  a 
careful  .eye  to  effect,  I  may  take  occasion  to  say  that  one  might 
suspect  her  of  a  consciousness  of  some  deficiency  of  height,  as 
well  as  of  an  undue  breadth  of  figure,  both  which  imperfections 
she  had  studied  to  conceal.  She  wore  a  high  conical  hat  of 
green  silk,  garnished  with  a  band  of  pink  ribbon  which  was  set 
on  by  indentation  or  teethwise,  and  gathered  in  front  into  a 
spirited  cluster  of  knots.  Her  jacket,  with  long  tight  sleeves, 
was  also  of  green  silk,  adapted  closely  to  her  shape,  now  brought 
into  its  smallest  compass  by  the  aid  of  stays,  and  was  trimmed  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  hat.  A  full  scarlet  petticoat  reached 
within  a  span  of  her  ankles,  and  disclosed  a  buxom,  well-formed 
leg  in  brown  stocking  with  flashy  clocks  of  thickly  embossed 
crimson,  and  a  foot,  of  which  the  owner  had  reason  to  be  proud, 
neatly  pinched  into  a  green  shoe  with  a  tottering  high  heel.  Her 
black  hair  hung  in  plaits  down  her  back  ;  and  her  countenance 
— distinguished  by  a  dark  waggish  eye,  a  clear  complexion,  and 
a  turned-up  nose,  to  which  might  be  added  a  neck  both  fat  and 
fair,  half  concealed  by  a  loose  kerchief — radiated  with  an  ex 


BOB    OF    THE    BOWL.  ^  85 

pression  partly  wicked  and  partly  charitable,  but  in  every  linea- 
ment denoting  determination  and  constancy  of  purpose.  This 
air  of  careless  boldness  was  not  a  little  heightened  by  the  absence 
of  all  defence  to  her  brow  from  the  narrow  rim  of  the  hat  and 
the  height  at  which  it  was  elevated  above  her  features. 

The  din  of  the  tap-room  was  hushed  into  momentary  silence 
as  soon  as  this  notable  figure  appeared  on  the  threshold.' 

"  Heaven  help  these  thirsty,  roystering  men  !"  she  exclaimed, 
as  she  paused  an  instant  at  the  door  and  surveyed  the  group 
within.  *  "  They  are  still  at  it  as  greedily  as  if  they  had  just 
come  out  of  a  dry  lent  !  From  sunrise  till  noon,  and  from  noon 
till  night,  it  is  all  the  same — drink,  drink,  drink.  Have  ye  news 
of  Master  Cocklescraft  ? — I  would  that  the  Olive  Branch  were 
come  and  gone,  that  I  might  sit  under  a  quiet  roof  again  ! — 
there  is  nothing  but  riot  and  reeling  from  the  time  the  skipper 
is  expected  in  the  port  until  he  leaves  it." 

"  True  enough,  jolly  queen  !"  said  Ralph  Haywood,  a  young 
inland  planter,  taking  the  hand  of  the  merry  landlady  as  she 
struggled  by  him  on  her  way  to  the  bar — "  what,  in  good 
earnest,  has  become  of  Cocklescraft  ?  This  is  the  second  day  we 
waited  for  him.  I  half  suspect  you,  mistress,  of  a  trick  to 
gather  good  fellows  about  you,  by  setting  up  a  false  report  of 
the  Olive  Branch." 

"  Thou  art  a  lying  varlet,  Ralph,"  quickly  responded  the 
dame  :  "you  yourself  came  jogging  hither  with  the  story  that 
Cocklescraft  was  seen  two  days  ago,  beating  off  the  Rappahan- 
nock.— I  play  a  trick  on  you,  truly  !  You  must  think  I  Have 
need  of  custom,  to  bring  in  a  troop  of  swilling  bumpkins  from 
the  country  who  would  eat  and  drink  out  the  character  of 
any  reputable  house  in  the  hundred,  without  so  much  as  one 
doit  of  profit.  You  have  my  free  leave  to  tramp  it  back  again 
to  Providence,  Ralph  Haywood,  whenever  you  have  a  mind." 


86  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

"  .Nay,  now  you  quarrel  with  an  old  friend,  Mistress  Doro- 
thy," 

"  Take  your  hand  off  my  shoulder,  Ralph,  you  coaxing 
villain  ! — Ha,  ha,  I  warrant  you  get  naught  but  vinegar  from 
me,  for  your  treacle. — But  come — you  are  a  good  child,  and 
shall  have  of  the  best  in  this  house  : — I  would  only  warn  you  to 
call  for  it  mannerly,  Master  Ralph." 

"  Our  dame  is  a  woman  of  mettle,"  said  another  of  the  com- 
pany, as  the  landlady  escaped  from  the  planter  and  took  her 
station  behind  the  bar. 

*'  What  has  become  of  .  that  man  Weasel  ?"  she  inquired 
somewhat  petulantly.  "  The  man  I  am  sure  has  been  abroad 
ever  since  I  left  the  house  !  He  is  of  no  more  value  than  a 
cracked  pot  ; — he  would  see  me  work  myself  as  thin  as  a  broom 
handle  before  he  would  think  of  turning  himself  round." 

"  Garret  is  now  upon  the  quay,"  replied  one  of  the  cus- 
tomers ; —  "I  saw  him  but  a  moment  since  with  Arnold  the 
Ranger." 

"With  some  idle  stroller, — you  may  be  sure  of  that!"  inter- 
rupted the  hostess: — "never  at  his  place,  if  the  whole  house 
should  go  dry  as  Cuthbert's  spring  at  midsummer.  Call  him  to 
me,  if  you  please,  Master  Shortgrass. — Michael  Curtis,  that 
wench  Matty  Scamper  has  something  to  do  besides  listen  to 
your  claverings  !  Matty,  begone  to  the  kitchen  j  these  country 
cattle  will  want  their  suppers  presently. — Oh,  Willy,  Willy 
o'  the  Flats  ! — for  the  sake  of  one's  ears,  in  mercy,  stop  that 
everlasting  twangle  of  your  old  ticldle  ! — It  would  disgrace  the 
patience  of  any  Christian  woman  in  the  world  to  abide  in  the 
midst  of  all  this  uproar  ! — Nay  then,  come  forward,  old  crony 
■ — I  would  not  offend  you,"  she-  said  in  a  milder  tone  to  the 
fiddler.  "  Here  is  a  cup  of  ale,  and  Matty  will  give  you  your 
supper  to-night.     I  have  danced  too  often  to  your  music  to  deny 


BOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  81 

you  a  comfort  ; — so,  drink  as  you  will  !    but  pray  you  rest  your 
elbow  for  a  while." 

"  And  there  is  a  shilling  clown  on  the  nail,"  said  Driving  Dick, 
as  he  and  the  fiddler  came  together  to  the  bar  at  the  summons  of 
the  landlady  :  "  when  that  is  drunk  out,  dame,  give  me  a  .space  of 
warning,  that  I  may  resolve  whether  we  shall  go  another  shot." 

"  Master  Shortgrass  told  me  you  had  need  of  me,"  said  Gar- 
ret Weasel,  as  he  now  entered  the  door  ; — "  what  with  me,  wife 
Dorothy  ?" 

"Get  you  gone  !"  replied  the  wife — "  you  are  ever  in  the  way. 
Your  head  is  always  thrust  in  place  when  it  is  not  wanted  !  If 
you  had  been  at  your  duty  an  hour  ago,  your  service  might  have 
been  useful." 

"  I  can  but  return  to  the  quay,"  said  Garret,  at  the  same  time 
beginning  to  retrace  his  steps. 

"  Bide  you  !"  exclaimed  the  dame  in  a  shrill  voice — "  I  have 
occasion  for  you.  Go  to  the  cellar  and  bring  up  another  stoop 
of  hollands  ;  these  salt  water  fish  have  no  relish  for  ale — they 
must  deal  in  the  strong  : — nothing  but  hollands  or  brandy  for 
them." 

The  obedient  husband  took  the  key  of  the  cellar  and  went  on 
the  duty  assigned  him. 

At  this  moment  a  door  communicating  with  an  adjoining  apart- 
ment was  thrown  ajar  and  the  head  of  Captain  Dauntrees  protru- 
ded into  the  tap-room. 

"Mistress  Dorothy,"  he  said — "  at  your  leisure,  pray  step  this 
way." 

The  dame  tarried  no  longer  than  was  necessary  to  complete  a 
measure  she  was  filling  for  a  customer,  and  then  went  into  the 
room  to  which  she  had  been  summoned.  This  was  a  little  parlor 
where  the  Captain  of  musketeers  had  been  regaling  himself  for 
the  last  hour  over  a  jorum  of  ale,  in  solitary  rumination.     An 


88  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

open  window  gave  to  his  view  the  full  expanse  of  the  river,  now 
glowing  with  the  rich  reflexions  of  sunset ;  and  a  balmy  October 
breeze  played  through  the  apartment  and  refreshed  without  chill- 
ing the  frame  of  the  comfortable  Captain.  He  was  seated  near 
the  window  in  a  large  easy-chair  when  the  hostess  entered. 

"  Welcome,  dame,"  he  said,  without  rising  from  his  seat,  at 
the  same  time  offering  his  hand,  which  was  readily  accepted  by  the 
landlady. — "  By  St.  Gregory  and  St.  Michael  both,  a  more  bux- 
om and  tidy  piece  of  flesh  and  blood  hath  never  sailed  between 
the  two  headlands  of  Potomac,  than  thou  art !  You  are  for  a 
junketing,  Mistress  Dorothy  ;  you  are  tricked  out  like  a  queen 
this  evening  !  I  have  never  seen  you  in  your  new  suit  before. 
You  are  as  gay  as  a  marygold  :  and  I  wear  your  colors,  thou 
laughing  mother  of  mischief !  Green  is  the  livery  of  your  true 
knight.  Has  your  good  man,  honest  Garret,  come  home  yet. 
dame  ?" 

"  What  would  you  with  my  husband,  Master  Baldpate  !  There 
is  no  good  in  the  wind  when  you  throw  yourself  into  the  big  chair 
of  this  parlor." 

"  In  truth,  dame,  I  only  came  to  make  a  short  night  of  it  with 
you  and  your  worthy  spouse.  Do  not  show  your  white  teeth  at 
me,  hussy, — you  are  too  old  to  bite.  Tell  Matty  to  spread  sup- 
per for  me  in  this  parlor.  Arnold  and  Pamesack  will  partake- 
with  me  ;  and  if  the  veritable  and  most  authentic  head  of  this 
house— I  mean  yourself,  mistress — have  no  need  of  Garret,  1 
would  entreat  to  have  him  in  company.  By  the  hand  of  thy  sol- 
dier, Mistress  Dorothy  !  I  am  glad  to  see  you  thrive  so  in  your 
calling.  You  will  spare  me  Garret,  dame  ?  Come,  I  know  you 
have  not  learnt  how  to  refuse  me  a  boon." 

"  You  are  a  saucy  Jack,  Master  Captain,"  replied  the  dame. 
"  I  know  you  of  old  :  you  would  have  a  rouse  with  that  thriftless 
babe,  my  husband.     You  sent  him  reeling  home  only  last  night, 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  89 

How  can  you  look  me  in  the  face,  knowing  him,  as  you  do,  for  a 
most  shallow  vessel,  Captain  Dauntrees  ?" 

"  Tie  on  thee,  dame  !  You  disgrace  your  own  flesh  and  blood 
by  such  a  speech.  Did  you  not  choose  him  for  his  qualities? — ■ 
ay,  and  with  all  circumspection,  as  a  woman  of  experience.  You 
had  two  husbands  before  Garret,  and  when  you  took  him  for  a 
third,  it  was  not  in  ignorance  of  the  sex.  Look  thee  in  the  face! 
I  dare, — yea,  and,  at  thy  whole  configuration.  Faith,  you  wear 
most  bravely,  Mistress  Weasel  !  Stand  apart,  and  let  me  sur- 
vey :  turn  your  shoulders  round,"  he  added,  as  by  a  sleight  he 
twirled  the  dame  upon  her  heel  so  as  to  bring  her  back  to  his 
view — "there  is  a  woman  of  ten  thousand  !  I  envy  Garret  such 
store  of  womanly  wealth." 

"  If  Garret  were  the  man  I  took  him  for,  Master  Captain," 
said  the  dame  with  a  saucy  smile,  "you  would  have  borne  a  bro- 
ken head  long  since.  But  he  has  his  virtues,  such  as  they  are, — 
though  they  may  lie  in  an  egg-shell  :  and  Garret  has  his  frailties 
too,  like  other  men  :  alack,  there  is  no  denying  it  !" 

"  Frailties,  forsooth  !  Which  of  us  has  not,  dame  ?  Garret 
is- an  honest  man  ; — somewhat  old — a  shade  or  so  :  yet  it  is  but 
a  shade.  For  my  sake,  pretty  hostess,  you  will  allow  him  to  sup 
with  us  ?  Speak  it  kindly,  sweetheart — good,  old  Garret's  jolly, 
young  wife  !" 

"  Thou  wheedling  devil  !"  said  the  landlady  ;  "  Garret  is  no 
older  than  you  are.  But,  truly,  I  may  say  he  is  of  little  account 
in  the  tap-room  ;  so,  he  shall  come  to  you,  Captain.  But,  look 
you,  he  -is  weak,  and  must  not  be  over-charged." 

';  He  shall  not,  mistress — you  have  a  soldier's  word  for  that. 
1  could  have  sworn  you  would  not  deny  me.  Hark  you,  dame, — ■ 
bring  your  ear  to  my  lips  ; — a  word  in  secret." 

The  hostess  bent  her  head  down,  as  the  Captain  desired, 
when  he  said  in  a  half  whisper,  "  Send  me  a  flask  of  the  best, — • 


90  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

you  understand  ?  And  there's  for  thy  pains  !"  he  added,  as  he 
saluted  her  cheek  with  a  kiss. 

"And  there's  for  thy  impudence,  saucy  Captain!"  retorted 
the  spirited  landlady  as  she  bestowed  the  palm  of  her  hand  on 
the  side  of  his  head  and  fled  out  of  the  apartment. 

Dauntrees  sprang  from  his  chair  and  chased  the  retreating 

_dame  into  the  midst  of  the  crowd  of  the  tap-room,  by  whose  aid 

she  was  enabled  to  make  her  escape.      Here  he  encountered 

Garret  Weasel,  with  whom   he  went  forth  in  quest  of  Arnold 

and  the  Indian,  who  were  to  be  his  guests  at  supper. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  half  hour  the  Captain  and  his 
three  comrades  were  assembled  in  the  little  parlor  around  the 
table,  discussing  their  evening  meal.  When  this  was  over, 
Matty  was  ordered  to  clear  the  board  and  to  place  a  bottle 
of  wine  and  glasses  before  the  party,  and  then  to  leave  the 
room. 

"You  must  know,  Garret,"  said  Dauntrees  when  the  serving- 
maid  had  retired,  "  that  we  go  to-night  to  visit  the  Wizard's 
Chapel  by  his  Lordship's  order  ;  and  as  I  would  have  stout 
fellows  with  me,  I  have  come  down  here  on  purpose  to  take 
you  along." 

"  Heaven  bless  us,  Master  Jasper  Dauntrees  !"  exclaimed 
Garret,  somewhat  confounded  with  this  sudden  appeal  to  his 
valor,  which  was  not  of  that  prompt  complexion  to  stand  so 
instant  a  demand,  and  yet  which  the  publican  was  never  willing 
to  have  doubted — "  truly  there  be  three  of  you,  and  it  might 
mar  the  matter  to  have  too  many  on  so  secret  an  out- 
going"  

"Tush,  man, — that  has  been  considered.  His  Lordship 
especially  looks  to  your  going  :  you  cannot  choose  but  go  " 

"But  my  wife,  Captain  Dauntrees" • 

"  Leave  that  to  me,"  said  the  Captain  ;  "  I  will  manage  it  as 


BOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  91 

handsomely  as  the  taking-  of  Troy.  Worthy  Garret,  say  naught 
against  it — you  must  go,  and  take  with  you  a  few  bottles  of 
Canary  and  a  good  luncheon  of  provender  in  the  basket.  You 
shall  be  our  commissary.  I  came  on  set  purpose  to  procure  the 
assistance  of  your  experience,  and  store  of  comfortable  sustenance. 
Get  the  bottles,  Garret, — his  Lordship  pays  the  scot  to-night." 

"  I  should  have  my  nag,"  said  Garret,  "  and  the  dame  keeps 
the  key  of  the  stable,  and  will  in  no  wise  consent  to  let  me  have 
it.     She  would  suspect  us  for  a  rouse  if  I  but  asked  the  key." 

"I  will  engage  for  that,  good  "Weasel,"  said  Dauntrees  :  "I 
will  cozen  the  dame  with  some  special  invention  which  shall  put 
her  to  giving  the  key  of  her  own  motion  :  she  shall  be  coaxed 
with  a  device  that  shall  make  all  sure — only  say  you  will  obey 
his  Lordship's  earnest  desire." 

"  It  is  a  notable  piece  of  service,"  said  the  innkeeper,  medi- 
tating over  the  subject,  and  tickled  with  the  importance  which 
was  ascribed  to  his  co-operation — "  and  will  win  thanks  from  the 
whole  province.  His  Lordship  did  wisely  to  give  it  in  charge  to 
valiant  men." 

"  In  faith  did  he,"  replied  the  Captain  ;  "  and  it  will  be  the 
finishing  stroke  of  your  fortunes.  You  will  be  a  man  of  mark 
for  ever  after." 

"  I  am  a  man  to  be  looked  to  in  a  strait,  Captain,"  said 
Weasel,  growing  valorous  with  the  thought.  "  I  saw  by  his 
Lordship's  eye  yesternight  that  he  was  much  moved  by  what  I 
told  him.     I  have  had  a  wrestle  with  devfs  before  now." 

Arnold  smiled  and  cast  his  eye  towards  the  Indian,  who, 
immediately  after  supper,  had  quitted  the  table  and  taken  a 
seat  in  the  window. 

"There  be  hot  devils  and  cold  devils,"  said  he,  "and  he  that 
wrestles  with  them  must  have  a  hand  that  will  hold  fire  as  well 
as  ice  :  that  is  true,  Pamesack  ?" 


92  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"  Pamesack  has  no  dealing  with  the  white  man's  devil," 
replied  the  Indian  ;  "he  has  enough  to  do  with  his  own." 

"Drink  some  wine,  old  blade,"  said  Dauntrees  as  he  pre- 
sented a  cup  to  Pamesack  ;  "  The  Knife  must  be  sharp  to- 
night— this  will  whet  his  edge.  We  shall  have  need  of  your 
woodcraft." 

The  Indian  merely  sipped  the  wine,  as  he  replied,  "  Pamesack 
knows  the  broad  path  and  the  narrow  both.  He  can  lead  you 
to  the  Black  House  day  or  night." 

"  Brandy  is  more  natural  to  his  throat  than  this  thin  drink," 
said  Weasel,  who  forthwith  left  the  room  and  returned  with  a 
measure  of  the  stronger  liquor.  When  this  was  presented  Pame- 
sack swallowed  it  at  a  draught,  and  with  something  approaching 
a  laugh,  he  said,  "It  is  the  white  man's  devil — but  the  Indian 
does  not  fear  him." 

"  Now,  Garret,"  said  Dauntrees,  "  we  have  no  time  to  lose. 
Make  ready  your  basket  and  bottles,  and  lay  them  at  the  foot 
of  the  cedar  below  the  bank,  near  the  Town  House  steps  ;  then 
hasten  back  to  the  parlor.  I  will  put  the  dame  to  sending  you 
on  an  errand  which  may  be  done  only  on  horseback  ; — you  will 
mount  with  the  basket  and  make  speedy  way  to  the  Port.  Tell 
Nicholas  Verbrack,  the  lieutenant,  that  I  shall  be  there  in  rea- 
sonable time.  We  must  set  forth  by  ten  ;  it  may  take  us  three 
hours  to  reach  St.  Jerome's." 

"  My  heart  is  big  enough,"  said  Weasel,  once  more  beginning 
to  waver,  "for  any  venture  ;  but,  in  truth,  I  fear  the  dame.  It 
will  be  a  livelong  night  carouse,  and  she  is  mortal  against  that. 
What  will  she  say  in  the  morning  ?" 

"  What  can  she  say,  when  all  is  come  and  gone,  but,  per- 
chance, that  you  were  rash  and  hot-headed  ?  That  will  do  you 
no  harm  :  but  an  hour  ago  she  swore  to  me  that  you  were 
getting  old — and  sighed  too,  as  if  she  believed  her  words." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  93 

"Old,  did  she  say?  Ho,  mistress,  I  will  show  you  my  in- 
firmities !  A  fig  for  her  scruples  !  the  hey-day  blood  yerks  yet, 
Master  Captain.  I  will  go  with  you,  comrades  :  I  will  follow 
you  to  any  goblin's  chapel  'twixt  St.  Mary's  and  Christina." 

"Well  said,  brave  vintner  !"  exclaimed  the  Captain  ;  "  now, 
stir  !  And  when  you  come  back  to  the  parlor,  Master  Weasel, 
you  shall  find  the  dame  here.  Watch  my  eye  and  take  my  hint, 
so  that  you  play  into  my  hand  when  need  shall  be.  I  will  get 
the  nag  out  of  the  stable  if  he  were  covered  with  bells.  Away 
for  the  provender  !" 

The  publican  went  about  his  preparations,  and  had  no  sooner 
left  the  room  than  the  Captain  called  the  landlady,  who  at 
his  invitation  showed  herself  at  the  door. 

"  Come  in,  sweetheart.  Good  Mistress  Daffodil,"  he  said, 
"  I  called  that  you  may  lend  us  your  help  to  laugh  :  since  your 
rufflers  are  dispersed,  your  smokers  obnubilated  in  their  own 
clouds,  your  tipplers  strewed  upon  the  benches,  and  nothing 
more  left  for  you  to  do  in  the  tap-room,  we  would  have 
your  worshipful  and  witty  company  here  in  the  parlor.  So, 
come  in,  my  princess  of  pleasant  thoughts,  and  make  us  merry. 

"  There  is  nothing  but  clinking  of  cans  and  swaggering 
speeches  where  you  are,  Captain  Dauntrees,"  said  the  hostess." 
"  An  honest  woman  had  best  be  little  seen  in  your  company.  It 
is  a  wonder  you  ever  got  out  of  the  Low  Countries,  where,  what 
with  drinking  with  boors  and  quarreling  with  belted  bullies,  your 
three  years'  service  was  enough  to  put  an  end  to  a  thousand 
fellows  of  your  humor." 

"  There's  destiny  in  it,  dame.  I  was  born  to  be  the  delight 
of  your  eyes.  It  was  found  in  my  horoscope,  when  my  nativity 
was  cast,  that  a  certain  jolly  mistress  of  a  most-espeeially-to-be- 
eommended  inn,  situate  upon  a  delectable  point  of  land  in  the 
New  World,  was  to  be  greatly  indebted    to  me,  first,  for  the 


U4 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 


good  fame  of  her  wines  amongst  worshipful  people  ;  and,  secondly, 
for  the  sufficient  and  decent  praise  of  her  beauty.  So  was  it 
read  to  my  mother  by  the  wise  astrologer.  And  then,  dame, 
you  slander  the  virtue  of  the  Low  Countries.  Look  at  Arnold 
there  :  is  there  a  more  temperate,  orderly,  well-behaved  liegeman 
in  the  world  than  the  ranger  ?  And  did  he  not  bring  his 
sobriety  with  him  from  the  very  bosom  of  the  land  you  rail 
against  ?" 

"  If  Arnold  de  la  Grange  is  not  all  that  you  say  of  him," 
replied  the  hostess,  "it  is  because  he  has  lost  some  share  of  his 
good  quality  by  consorting  with  you,  Captain.  Besides,  Arnold 
has  never  been  hackneyed  in  the  wars." 

"  A  Dutch  head,"  said  Arnold,  laughing,  "  is  not  easily  made 
to  spin.  In  the  Old  World  men  can  drink  more  than  in  the 
New  :  a  Friesland  fog  is  an  excellent  shaving  horn,  mistress  !" 

"  Heaven  help  the  men  of  the  Old  World,  if  they  drink  more 
than  they  do  in  our  province  !"  exclaimed  Mistress  Weasel. 
"  Look  in  the  tap-room,  and  you  may  see  the  end  of  a  day's 
work  in  at  least  ten  great  loons.  One  half  are  sound  asleep, 
and  the  other  of  so  dim  sight  that  neither  can  see  his  neighbor." 

"  The  better  reason  then,  Mistress  Dorothy,"  replied  Daun- 
trees,  "  why  you,  a  reputable  woman,  should  leave  such  topers, 
and  keep  company  with  sober,  waking,  discreet  friends.  That 
cap  becomes  you,  mistress.  I  never  saw  you  in  so  dainty  a  head- 
gear. I  honor  it  as  a  covering  altogether  worthy  of  your  comeli- 
ness. Faith,  it  has  been  a  rich  piece  of  merchandise  to  me  ! 
Upon  an  outlay  of  fourteen  shillings  which  I  paid  for  it,  as 
a  Michaelmas  present  to  my  excellent  hostess,  I  have  got  in 
return,  by  way  of  profit,  full  thirteen  bottles  of  Garret's  choicest 
Canary,  on  my  wager.  Garret  was  obstinate,  and  would  face 
me  out  with  it  that  you  wore  it  to  church  last  Sunday,  when 
I  knew  that  you  went  only  in  your  hood  that  day  : — he  has 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  90- 

never  an  eye  to  look  on  you,  dame,  as  he  ought — so  he  must 
needs  put  it  to  a  wager.  Well,  as  this  is  the  first  day  you  have 
ever  gone  abroad  in  it,  here  I  drink  to  thee  and  thy  cap, 
upon  my  knees — Success  to  its  travels,  and  joy  to  the  merry 
eye  that  sparkles  below  it !  Come,  Arnold,  drink  to  that, 
and  get  Pamesack  another  glass  of  aqua  vitas  : — top  off  to 
the  hostess,  comrades  !" 

The  toast  was  drank,  and  at  this  moment  Garret  Weasel 
returned  to  the  room.  A  sign  from  him  informed  the  Captain 
that  the  preparation  he  had  been  despatched  to  make  was 
accomplished. 

"  How  looks  the  night,  Garret?"  inquired  Dauntrees  :  "when 
have  we  the  moon  ?" 

"  It  is  a  clear  starlight,  and  calm,"  replied  the  publican  ;  "  the 
moon  will  not  show  herself  till  near  morning." 

"  Have  you  heard  the  news,  mistress  ?"  inquired  the  Captain, 
with  an  expression  of  some  eagerness  ;  "  there  is  pleasant  matter 
current,  concerning  the  mercer's  wife  at  the  Blue  Triangle.  But 
you  must  have  heard  it  before  this  ?" 

"  No,  truly,  not  I,"  replied  the  hostess. 

"Indeed!"  said  Dauntrees,  "then  there's  a  month's  amuse- 
ment for  you.     You  owe  the  sly  jade  a  grudge,  mistress." 

"  In  faith  I  do,"  said  the  dame,  smiling,  "  and  would  gladly 
pay  it. 

"  You  may  pay  it  off  with  usury  now,"  added  the  Captain, 
"  with  no  more  trouble  than  telling  the  story.  It  is  a  rare  jest, 
and  will  not  die  quickly." 

"  I  pray  you  to  tell  it  me,  good  Captain — give  me  all  of  it,;; 
exclaim  id  the  dame  eagerly. 

"  Peregrine  Cadger,  the  mercer,  you  know,"  said  the  Captain 
— "  but  it  is  a  long  story,  and  will  take  time  to  rehearse  it. 
Garret,  how  comes  it  that  you  did  not  tell  this  matter  to  your 


96  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

wife,  as  I  charged  you  to  do  ?"  he  inquired  with  a  wink  at 
the  publican. 

u  I  resolved  to  tell  it  to  her,"  said  Weasel,  "  but,  I 
know  not  how,  it  ran  out  of  my  mind — the  day  being  a  busy 
one— — -" 

"  A  busy  day  to  thee  !"  exclaimed  the  spouse.  "  Thou,  who 
hast  no  more  to  do  than  a  stray  in  the  pound,  what  are  you 
fit  for,  if  it  be  not  to  do  as  you  are  commanded?  But  go  on. 
Captain  ;  the  story  would  only  be  marred  by  Garret's  telling — - 
go  on  yourself — I  am  impatient  to  hear  it." 

"  I  pray  you,  what  o'clock  is  it,  mistress  ?"  asked  the  Captain. 

"  It  is  only  near  nine.     It  matters  not  for  the  hour — go  on." 

"Nine  !"  exclaimed  Dauntrees  ;  "truly,  dame,  I  must  leave 
the  story  for  Master  Garret.  Nine,  said  you  ?  By  my  sword, 
I  have  overstaid  my  time  !  I  have  business  with  the  Lord 
Proprietary  before  he  goes  to  his  bed.  There  are  papers  at  the 
fort  which  should  have  been  delivered  to  his  Lordship  before 
this." 

"  Nay,  Captain,"  said  the  hostess,  "if  it  be  but  the  delivery 
of  a  packet,  it  may  be  done  by  some  other  hand.  There  is 
Driving  Dick  in  the  tap-room  :  he  shall  do  your  bidding  in  the 
matter.     Do  not  let  so  light  a  business  as  that  take  you  away." 

"  To-morrow,  dame,  and  I  will  tell  you  the  tale." 

"  To-night,  Captain — to-night." 

"Truly,  I  must  go;  the  papers  should  be  delivered  by  a 
trusty  hand — I  may  not  leave  it  to  an  ordinary  messenger.  Now 
if  Garret — but  I  will  ask  no  such  service  from  the  good  man  at 
this  time  of  night ;  it  is  a  long  way.  No,  no,  I  must  do  my  own 
errand." 

"There  is  no  reason  upon  earth,"  said  the  landlady,  "why 
Garret  should  not  do  it  :  it  is  but  a  step  to  the  fort  and  back." 

"  I  can  take  my  nag  and  ride  there  in  twenty  minutes,"  said 


BOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  97 

Garret.     "I  warrant  you  his  Lordship  will  think  the  message 
wisely  entrusted  to  me." 

"  Then  get  you  gone,  without  parley,"  exclaimed  the  dame. 

"  The  key  of  the  stable,  wife,"  said  Garret. 

"  If  you  will  go,  Master  Garret,"  said  Dauntrees — "  and  it 
is  very  obliging  of  you — do  it  quickly.  Tell  Nicholas  Yerbrack 
to  look  in  my  scrutoire  ;  he  will  find  the  packet  addressed  to  his 
Lordship.  Take  it,  and  see  it  safely  put  into  his  Lordship's 
hands.  Say  to  Nicholas,  moreover,  that  I  will  be  at  the  fort 
before  ten  to-night.     You  comprehend  ?" 

"I  comprehend,"  replied  Garret,  as  his  wife  gave  him  the 
key  of  the  stable,  and  he  departed  from  the  room. 

"Now,  Captain." 

"  Well,  mistress  :  you  must  know  that  Peregrine  Cadger, 
the  mercer,  who  in  the  main  is  a  discreet  man " 

"  Yes." 

"  A  discreet  man — I  mean,  bating  some  follies  which  you 
wot  of ;  for  this  trading  and  trafficking  naturally  begets  fore- 
sight. A  man  has  so  much  to  do  with  the  world  in  that 
vocation,  and  the  world,  Mistress  Dorothy,  is  inclined  by  temper 
to  be  somewhat  knavish,  so  that  they  who  have  much  to  do  with 
it  learn  cautions  which  other  folks  do  not.  Now,  in  our  calling 
of  soldiership,  caution  is  a  sneaking  virtue  which  we  soon  send  to 
the — no  matter  where  ;  and  thereby  you  may  see  how  it  is  that 
we  are  more  honest  than  other  people.  Caution  and  honesty  do 
not  much  consort  together." 

"  But  of  the  mercer's  wife,  Captain." 

"  Ay,  the  mercer's  wife — I  shall  come  to  her  presently.  Well, 
Peregrine,  as  you  have  often  seen,  is  a  shade  or  so  jealous  of 
that  fussock,  his  wife,  who  looks,  when  she  is  tricked  out  in  her 
new  russet  grograra  cloak,  more  like  a  brown  haycock  in  motion 
than  a  living  woman." 
5 


98  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL 

"  Yes,"  interrupted  the  dame,  laughing,  "  and  with  a  sun 
burnt  top.     Her  red  hair  on  her  shoulders  is  no  better,  I  trow." 

"  Her  husband,  who  at  best  is  but  a  cotquean — one  of  those 
fellows  who  has  a  dastardly  fear  of  his  wife,  which,  you  know, 
Mistress  Dorothy,  truly  makes  both  man  and  wife  to  be  laughed 
at.  A  husband  should  have  his  own  way,  and  follow  his  humor, 
no  matter  whether  the  dame  rails  or  not.  You  agree  with  me 
in  this,  Mistress  Weasel  ?" 

"  In  part,  Captain.  I  am  not  for  stinting  a  husband  in  his 
lawful  walks  ;  but  the  wife  should  have  an  eye  to  his  ways  :  she 
may  counsel  him." 

"  Oh,  in  reason,  I  grant ;  but  she  should  not  chide  him,  I 
mean,  nor  look  too  narrowly  into  his  hours,  that's  all.  Now 
Peregrine's  dame  has  a  free  foot,  and  the  mercer  himself  some- 
what of  a  sulky  brow.  Well,  Halfpenny,  the  chapman,  who  is  a 
mad  wag  for  mischief,  and  who  is  withal  a  sure  customer  of  the 
mercer's  in  small  wares,  comes  yesternight  to  Peregrine  Cadger's 
house,  bringing  with  him  worshipful  Master  Lawrence  Hay,  the 
viewer." 

At  this  moment  the  sound  of  horse's  feet  from  the  court-yard 
showed  that  Garret  Weasel  had  set  forth  on  his  ride. 

"  Arnold,  I  am  keeping  you  waiting,"  said  Dauntrees.  "  Fill 
up  another  cup  for  yourself  and  Pamesack,  and  go  your  ways. 
Stay  not  for  me,  friends  ;  or  if  it  pleases  you,  wait  for  me  in  the 
tap-room.     I  will  be  ready  in  a  brief  space." 

The  ranger  and  the  Indian,  after  swallowing  another  glass, 
withdrew. 

"The  viewer,"  continued  Dauntrees,  "is  a  handsome  man — 
and  a  merry  man  on  occasion,  too.  I  had  heard  it  whispered 
before — but  not  liking  to  raise  a  scandal  upon  a  neighbor,  I  kept 
my  thoughts  to  myself — that  the  mercer's  wife  had  rather  a 
warm  side  for  the  viewer.     But  be  that  as  it  may  :  there  was 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  99 

the  most  laughable  prank  played  on  the  mercer  by  Halfpenny 
and  the  viewer  together,  last  night,  that  ever  was  heard  of.  It 
was  thus  :  they  had  a  game  at  Hoodman-blind,  and  when  it  fell 
to  Lawrence  to  be  the  seeker,  somehow  the  fat  termagant  was 
caught  in  his  arms,  and  so  the  hood  next  came  to  her.  Well, 
she  was  blindfolded  ;  and  there  was  an  agreement  all  round  that 
no  one  should  speak  a  word." 

"  Ay,  I  understand — I  see  it,"  said  the  hostess,  eagerly  draw- 
ing her  chair  nearer  to  the  Captain. 

"No,  you  would  never  guess,"  replied  Dauntrees,  "if  you 
cudgelled  your  brains  from  now  till  Christmas.  But  I  can  show 
you,  Mistress  Dorothy,  better  by  the  acting  of  the  scene.  Here, 
get  down  on  your  knees,  and  let  me  put  your  kerchief  over  your 
eyes." 

"  What  can  that  signify  ?"  inquired  the  dame. 

"  Do  it,  mistress — you  will  laugh  at  the  explosion.  Give  me 
the  handkerchief.  Down,  dame,  upon  your  marrow  bones  : — it 
is  an  excellent  jest  and  worth  the  learning." 

The  landlady  dropped  upon  her  knees,  and  the  Captain 
secured  the  bandage  round  her  eyes. 

"How  many  fingers,  dame?"  he  asked,  holding  his  hand 
before  her  face. 

"  Never  a  finger  can  I  see,  Captain." 

"It  is  well.  Now  stand  up — forth  and  away  !  That  was 
the  word  given  by  the  viewer.  Turn,  Mistress  Dorothy,  and 
grope  through  the  room.  Oh,  you  shall  laugh  at  this  roundly, 
Grope,  grope,  dame." 

The  obedient  and  marvelling  landlady  began  to  grope  through 
the  apartment,  and  Dauntrees,  quietly  opening  the  door,  stole  off 
to  the  tap-room,  where  being  joined  by  his  comrades,  they  hied  with 
all  speed  towards  the  fort,  leaving  the  credulous  dame  floundering 
after  a  jest,  at  least  until  they  got  beyond  the  hail  of  her  voice. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Pale  lights  on  Cadez'  rocks  were  seen,. 
And  midnight  voices  heard  to  moan, 
'Twas  even  said  the  blasted  oak, 
Convulsive,  heaved  a  hollow  groan. 
And  to  this  day  the  peasant  still, 
With  cautious  fear,  avoids  the  ground, 
In  each  wild  branch  a  spectre  sees, 
And  trembles  at  each  rising  ground. 

The  Spirit's  Blasted  Teee. 


Dauntrees,  after  his  unmannerly  escape  from  the  credulous 
landlady,  hastened  with  his  two  companions,  at  a  swinging  gait, 
along  the  beach  to  the  fort,  where  they  found  Grarret  Weasel 
waiting  for  them  in  a  state  of  eager  expectation. 

"Is  the  dame  likely  to  be  angry,  Captain?"  were  the  pub- 
lican's first  words.  "Does  she  suspect  us  for  a  frisk  to-night  ? 
Adsheartlikens,  it  is  a  perilous  adventure  for  the  morrow  !  You 
shall  bear  the  burden  of  that  reckoning,  Master  Captain." 

"  I  left  Mistress  Dorothy  groping  for  a  secret  at  Hoodman- 
blind,"  replied  the  Captain,  laughing.  "  She  has  found  it  before 
now,  and  by  my  computation  is  in 'the  prettiest  hurricane  that 
ever  brought  a  frown  upon  a  woman's  brow.  She  would  bless 
the  four  quarters  of  you,  Garret,  if  you  should  return  home 
to-night,  with  a  blessing  that  would  leave  a  scorch-mark  on  you 
for  the  rest  of  your  days.  I  shouldn't  wonder  presently  to  hear 
her  feet  pattering  on  the  gravel  of  the  beach  in  full  pursuit  of 
us — dark  as  it  is  :    I  have  left  her  in  a  mood  to  tempt  any 


BOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  101 

unheard  of  danger  for  revenge.  So,  let  us  be  away  upon  our 
errand.  You  have  the  eatables  safe  and  the  wine  sound,  worthy- 
Weasel  ?  Nicholas,"  he  said,  speaking  to  the  Lieutenant,  "are 
our  horses  saddled  ?" 

"They  are  at  the  post  on  the  other  side  of  the  parade,"  re- 
plied the  Lieutenant. 

"  Alack  !"  exclaimed  Weasel — "  Alack  for  these  pranks  ! 
Here  will  be  a  week's  repentance.  But  a  fig  for  conclusions  ! — 
in  for  a  penny,  in  for  a  pound,  masters.  I  have  the  basket  well 
stored  and  in  good  keeping.  It  will  be  discreet  to  mount  quickly 
— I  will  not  answer  against  the  dame's  rapping  at  the  gate  to- 
night :  she  is  a  woman  of  spirit  and  valiant  in  her  anger." 

"  Then  let  us  be  up  and  away,"  said  the  Captain,  who  was 
busily  bestowing  a  pair  of  pistols  in  his  belt  and  suspending  his 
sword  across  his  body. 

"  A  cutlass  and  pistols  for  me,"  said  the  publican,  as  he  se- 
lected his  weapons  from  several  at  hand. 

Arnold  and  Pamesack  were  each  provided  with  a  carbine, 
when  Dauntrees,  throwing  his  cloak  across  his  shoulders,  led  the 
way  to  the  horses,  where  the  party  having  mounted,  sallied  through 
the  gate  of  the  fort  at  a  gallop. 

Their  road  lay  around  the  head  of  St.  Inigoe's  creek,  and  soon 
became  entangled  in  dark,  woody  ravines  and  steep  acclivities, 
which  presented,  at  this  hour,  no  small  interruption  to  their  progress. 
Pamesack,  on  a  slouching  pony,  his  legs  dangling  within  a  foot  of 
the  ground,  led  the  way  with  an  almost  instinctive  knowledge  of 
nis  intricate  path,  which  might  have  defied  a  darker  night.  The 
stars,  shining  through  a  crisp  and  cloudless  atmosphere,  enabled 
the  party  to  discern  the  profile  of  the  tree  tops,  and  disclosed  to 
them,  at  intervals,  the  track  of  this  solitary  road  with  sufficient 
distinctness  to  prevent  their  entirely  losing  it. 

They  had  journeyed  for  more  than  two  hours  in  the  depths  of 


102  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL 

the  forest  before  they  approached  the  inlet  of  St.  Jerome's.  Daun- 
trees  had  beguiled  the  time  by  tales  of  former  adventm-es,  and 
now  and  then  by  sallies  of  humor  provoked  by  the  dubious  valor 
of  the  innkeeper, — for  Weasel,  although  addicted  to  the  vanity 
of  exhibiting  himself  in  the  light  of  a  swashing,  cut-and-thrust 
comrade  in  an  emprise  of  peril,  was  nevertheless  unable,  this  night, 
to  suppress  the  involuntary  confession  of  a  lurking  faint-hearted- 
ness  at  the  result  of  the  present  venture.  This  misgiving  showed 
itself  in  his  increased  garrulity  and  in  the  exaggerated  tone  of  his 
vauntings  of  what  he  had  done  in  sundry  emergencies  of  hazard, 
as  well  as  of  what  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  do  on  the  present 
occasion  if  they  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  encounter  any  pecu- 
liarly severe  stress  of  fortune.  Upon  such  topics  the  party  grew 
jovial  and  Dauntrees  laughed  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

"  The  vintner's  old  roystering  courses  would  make  us  lose  our 
road  in  downright  blindness  from  laughing,"  he  said,  as,  checking 
himself  in  one  of  these  outbreaks,  he  reined  up  his  horse.  "  Where 
are  we,  Pamesack  ?  I  surely  hear  the  stroke  of  the  tide  upon  the 
beach  ; — are  we  so  near  St.  Jerome's,  or  have  we  missed  the  track 
and  struck  the  bay  shore  short  of  our  aim  ?" 

"  The  she-fox  does  not  run  to  her  den  where  she  has  left  her 
young,  by  a  track  more  sure  than  mine  to-night,"  replied  the 
guide  : — "  it  is  the  wave  striking  upon  the  sand  at  the  head  of 
the  inlet :  you  may  see  the  stars  on  the  water  through  yonder 
wood." 

"Pamesack  says  true,"  added  Arnold.  "He  has  found  his 
way  better  than  a  hound." 

A  piece  of  cleared  land,  or  old  field,  a  few  acres  in  width,  lay 
between  the  travellers  and  the  water,  which  began  now  to  glim- 
mer on  their  sight  through  a  fringe  of  wood  that  grew  upon  the 
margin  of  the  creek  or  inlet,  and  the  fresh  breeze  showed  that  the 
broad  expanse  of  the  Chesapeake  was  at  no  great  distance 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  103 

"The  Wizard's  Chapel,"  said  Dauntrees,  "  by  my  reckoning 
then,  should  be  within  a  mile  of  this  spot.  It  were  a  good  point 
of  soldiership  to  push  forward  a  vanguard.  That  duty,  Garret, 
will  best  comport  with  your  madcap  humor — there  may  be  pith 
in  it :  so,  onward,  man,  until  you  are  challenged  by  some  out-post 
of  the  Foul  One — we  will  tarry  here  for  your  report.  In  the 
mean  time,  leave  us  your  hamper  of  provender.  Come,  man  of 
cold  iron,  be  alert — your  stomach  is  growing  rest'ive  for  a  deed  of 
valor." 

"  You  are  a  man  trained  to  pike  and  rnusketoon,"  replied  the 
publican  ;  "and  have  the  skill  to  set  a  company,  as  men  com- 
monly fight  with  men.  But  I  humbly  opine,  Captain,  that  our 
venture  to-night  stands  in  no  need  of  vanguard,  patrol  or  picket. 
We  have  unearthly  things- to  wrestle  with,  and  do  not  strive 
according  to  the  usages  of  the  wars.  I  would  not  be  slow  to  do 
your  bidding,  but  that  I  know  good  may  not  come  of  it :  in  my 
poor  judgment  we  should  creep  towards  the  Chapel  together,  not 
parting  company.  I  will  stand  by  thee,  Captain,  with  a  shai'p 
^eye  and  ready  hand." 

"Your  teeth  will  betray  us,  Master  "Vintner,  even  at  a  score 
rods  from  the  enemy,"  said  Dauntrees  :  "  they  chatter  so  rudely 
that  your  nether  jaw  is  in  danger.  If  you  are  cold,  man,  button 
up  your  coat." 

"  Of  a  verity,  it  is  a  cold  night,  and  my  coat  is  none  of  the 
thickest,"  replied  Weasel  with  an  increasing  shudder. 

"  I  understand  you,  Garret,"  responded  the  Captain  with  a 
laugh  ;  "  we  must  drink.  So,  friends,  to  the  green  grass,  and 
fasten  your  horses  to  the  trees  whilst  we  warm  up  the  liver  of  our 
forlorn  vintner  with  a  cup.     We  can  all  take  that  physic." 

This  command  was  obeyed  by  the  immediate  dismounting  of 
the  party  and  their  attack  upon  one  of  the  flasks  in  the  basket. 

"  It  has  a  rare  smack  for  a  frosty  night,"  said  Dauntrees  as 


104  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

he  quaffed  a  third  and  fourth  cup.  "  When  I  was  in  Tours  1 
visited  the  Abbey  of  Marmoustier,  and  there  drank  a  veritable 
potation  from  the  huge  tun  which  the  blessed  St.  Martin  himself 
filled,  by  squeezing  a  single  cluster  of  grapes.  It  has  the  repute 
of  being  the  kindliest  wine  in  all  Christendom  for  the  invigorating 
of  those  who  are  called  to  do  battle  with  the  devil.  The  monks 
of  the  abbey  have  ever  found  it  a  most  deadly  weapon  against 
Satan.  And  truly,  Master  Weasel,  if  I  did  not  know  that  this 
wine  was  of  the  breed  of  the  islands,  I  should  take  it  to  be  a 
dripping  from  the  holy  tun  I  spoke  of : — it  hath  the  like  virtue 
of  defiance  of  Beelzebub.  So,  drink — drink  again,  worthy  pur- 
veyor and  valiant  adjutant  !" 

"What  is  that?"  exclaimed  Weasel,  taking  the  cup  from  his 
lips  before  he  had  finished  the  contents.  "  There  is  something 
far  off  like  the  howl  of  a  dog,  and  yet  more  devilish  I  should 
say — did  ye  not  hear  it,  masters  ?  I  pray  heaven  there  be  no 
evil  warning  in  this  : — I  am  cold — still  cold,  Captain  Daun- 
trees." 

"  Tush,  it  is  the  ringing  of  your  own  ears,  G-arret,  or  it  may 
be,  like  enough,  some  devil's  cur  that  scents  our  footsteps.  Make 
yourself  a  fire,  and  whilst  you  grow  warm  we  will  take  a  range, 
for  a  brief  space,  round  the  Chapel.  You  shall  guard  the  forage 
till  we  return." 

"  That  is  well  thought  of,"  replied  the  innkeeper  quickly. 
"  Light  and  heat  will  both  be  useful  in  our  onslaught  : — while 
you  three  advance  towards  the  shore  I  will  keep  a  look-out 
here  ;  for  there  is  no  knowing  what  devices  the  enemy  may  have 
a-foot  to  take  us  by  surprise." 

Some  little  time  was  spent  in  kindling  a  fire,  which  had  no 
sooner  begun  to  blaze  than  Dauntrees,  with  the  Ranger  and  the 
Indian,  set  forth  on  their  reconnoissance  of  the  Chapel,  leaving 
Weasel   assured   that   he  was   rendering   important   service   in 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  105 

guarding  the  provender  and  comforting  himself  by  the  blazing 
fagots. 

They  walked  briskly  across  the  open  ground  towards  the 
water,  and  as  they  now  approached  the  spot  which  common 
rumor  had  invested  with  so  many  terrors,  even  these  bold 
adventurers  themselves  were  not  without  some  misgivings.  The 
universal  belief  in  supernatural  agencies  in  the  concerns  of  man- 
kind, which  distinguished  the  era  of  this  narrative,  was  sufficient 
to  infuse  a  certain  share  of  apprehension  into  the  minds  of  the 
stoutest  men,  and  it  was  hardly  reckoned  to  derogate  from  the 
courage  of  a  tried  soldier  that  he  should  quail  in  spirit  before  the 
dreadful  presence  of  the  Powers  of  Darkness.  Dauntrees  had  an 
undoubting  faith  in  the  malignant  influences  which  were  said  to 
hover  about  the  Wizard's  Chapel,  and  nothing  but  the  pride  and 
subordination  of  his  profession  could  have  impelled  him  to  visit 
this  spot  at  an  hour  when  its  mysterious  and  mischievous  inhabit- 
ants were  supposed  to  be  endued  with  their  fullest  power  to  harm. 
The  Ranger  was  not  less  keenly  impressed  with  the  same  feelings, 
whilst  Pamesack,  credulous  and  superstitious  as  all  of  his  tribe, 
was,  like  them,  endowed  with  that  deeply-imprinted  fatalism, 
which  taught  him  to  suppress  his  emotions,  and  which  ren- 
dered him  seemingly  indifferent  to  whatever  issue  awaited  his 
enterprise. 

"  By  my  troth,  Arnold,"  said  Dauntrees,  as  they  strode  for- 
ward, "  although  we  jest  at  yonder  white-livered  vintner,  this 
matter  we  have  in  hand  might  excuse  an  ague  in  a  stouter  man. 
I  care  not  to  confess  that  the  love  I  bear  his  Lordship,  together 
with  some  punctilio  of  duty,  is  the  only  argument  that  might 
bring  me  here  to-night.  I  would  rather  stand  a  score  pikes  in 
nn  onset  witli  my  single  hand,  where  the  business  is  with  flesh 
and  blood,  than  buffet  with  a  single  imp  of  the  Wizard.  I  have 
heard  of  over-bold  men  being  smote  by  the  evil  eye  of  a  beldam 
5* 


106  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

hag  ;  and  I  once  knew  a  man  of  unquenchable  gaiety  suddenly 
made  mute  and  melancholy  by  the  weight  of  a  blow  dealt  by  a 
hand  which  was  not  to  be  seen :  the  remainder  of  his  life  was 
spent  in  sorrowful  penance.  They  say  these  spirits  are  quick  to 
punish  rashness." 

"  As  Lord  Charles  commands  we  must  do  his  bidding,"  re- 
plied the  forester.  "  When  the  business  in  hand  must  be  done,  I 
never  stop  to  think  of  the  danger  of  it.  If  we  should  not  get 
back,  Lord  Charles  has  as  good  men  to  fill  our  places.  I  have 
been  scared  more  than  once  by  these  night  devils,  till  my  hair 
lifted  my  cap  with  the  fright,  but  I  never  lost  my  wits  so  far  as 
not  to  strike  or  to  run  at  the  good  season." 

"  Laet  lopen  die  lopen  luste,  as  we  used  to  say  in  Holland," 
returned  the  Captain.  "  I  am  an  old  rover  and  have  had  my 
share  of  goblins,  and  never  flinched  to  sulphur  or  brimstone, 
whether  projected  by  the  breath  of  a  devil  or  a  culverin.  I  am 
not  to  be  scared  now  from  my  duty  by  any  of  Paul  Kelpy's  brood, 
though  I  say  again  I  like  not  this  strife  with  shadows.  His 
Lordship  shall  not  say  we  failed  in  our  outlook.  I  did  purpose, 
before  we  set  out,  to  talk  with  Father  Pierre  concerning  this 
matter,  but  Garret's  wine  and  his  wife  together  put  it  out  of  my 
head." 

"  The  holy  father  would  only  have  told  you,"  replied  Arnold, 
"  to  keep  a  Latin  prayer  in  your  head  and  Master  Weasel's  wine 
and  wife  both  out  of  it." 

"  So  he  would,  Arnold,  and  it  would  have  gone  more  against 
the  grain  than  a  hair-shirt  penance.  I  have  scarce  a  tag  of  a 
prayer  in  my  memory,  not  even  a  line  of  the  Fac  Salve  ;  and  I 
have  moreover  a  most  special  need  for  a  flask  of  that  vintage  of 
Teneriffe  on  a  chilly  night  ; — and  then,  as  you  yourself  was  a 
witness,  I  had  most  pressing  occasion  to  practice  a  deceit  upon 
Mistress  Dorothy.     The  Priest's  counsel  ^ould  have  been  wasted 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  107 

words — that's  true  :  so  we  were  fain  to  do  our  errand  to-night 
without  the  aid  of  the  church. — Why  do  you  halt,  Pamesack  ?" 

'■'  I  hear  the  tread  of  a  foot,"  replied  the  Indian. 

"  A  deer  stalking  on  the  shore  of  the  creek,"  said  Dauntrees. 

"  More  like  the  foot  of  a  man,"  returned  Pamesack,  in  a 
lowered  voice  ;  "  we  should  talk  less  to  make  our  way  safe. — 
There  is  the  growl  of  a  dog." 

Arnold  now  called  the  attention  of  his  companions  to  the 
outlines  of  a  low  hut  which  was  barely  discernible  through  the 
wood  where  an  open  space  brought  the  angle  of  the  roof  into 
relief  against  the  water  of  the  creek,  and  as  they  approached 
near  enough  to  examine  the  little  structure  more  minutely,  they 
were  saluted  by  the  surly  bark  of  a  deep  throated  dog,  fiercely 
redoubled.  At  the  same  time  the  sound  of  receding  footsteps 
was  distinctly  audible. 

"  Who  dwells  here  ?"  inquired  Dauntrees,  striking  the  door 
with  the  hilt  of  his  sword. 

There  was  no  answer,  and  the  door  gave  way  to  the  thrust 
and  flew  wide  upon.  The  apartment  was  tenantless.  A  few  coals 
of  fire  gleaming  from  the  embers,  and  a  low  bench  furnished  with 
a  blanket,  rendered  it  obvious  that  this  solitary  abode  had  been 
but  recently  deserted  by  its  possessor.  A  hasty  survey  of  the 
hut,  which  was  at  first  fiercely  disputed  by  the  dog — a  cross- 
grained  and  sturdy  mastiff — until  a  sharp  blow  from  a  staff  which 
the  forester  bestowed  sent  him  growling  from  the  premises,  satis- 
fied the  explorers  that  so  far,  at  least,  they  had  encountered  no- 
thing supernatural  ;  and  without  further  delay  or  comment  upon 
this  incident  they  took  their  course  along  the  margin  of  St. 
Jerome's  Creek.  After  a  short  interval,  the  beating  of  the 
waves  upon  the  beach  informed  them  that  they  were  not  far  from 
the  beach  of  the  Chesapeake.  Here  a  halt  and  an  attentive  ex 
animation  of  the  locality  made  them  aware  that  they  stood  upon 


108 


ROB     OP     THE     BOWL. 


a  bank  which  descended  somewhat  abruptly  to  the  level  of  the 
beach  that  lay  some  fifty  yards  or  more  beyond  them.  In  the 
dim  starlight  they  were  able  to  trace  the  profile  of  a  low  but 
capacious  tenement  which  stood  almost  on  the  tide  mark. 

"  It  is  the  Chapel  !"  said  Dauntrees,  in  an  involuntary 
whisper  as  he  touched  the  Ranger's  arm. 

"  It  is  Paul  Kelpy's  house,  all  the  same  as  I  have  known  it 
these  twenty  years  : — a  silent  and  wicked  house,"  whispered 
Arnold,  in  reply. 

"  And  a  pretty  spot  for  the  Devil  to  lurk  in,"  said  Dauntrees, 
resuming  his  ordinary  tone. 

"  Hold,  Captain,"  interrupted  the  Ranger,  "  no  foul  words 
so  near  the  Haunted  House.  The  good  saints  be  above  us  !" 
he  added,  crossing  himself  and  muttering  a  short  prayer. 

"  Follow  me  down  the  bank,"  said  Dauntrees,  in  a  low  but 
resolute  voice  ;  "but  first  look  to  your  carbines  that  they  be 
charged  and  primed.  I  will  break  in  the  door  of  this  ungodly 
den  and  ransack  its  corners  before  I  leave  it.  Holy  St.  Michael, 
the  fiend  is  in  the  Chapel,  and  warns  us  away !"  he  exclaimed,  as 
suddenly  a  flash  of  crimson  light  illuminated  every  window  of 
the  building.  "  It  is  the  same  warning  given  to  Burton  and  my- 
self once  before.  Stand  your  ground,  comrades  ;  we  shall  be 
beset  by  these  ministers  of  sin  !" 

As  the  flashes  of  this  lurid  light  were  thrice  repeated, 
Pamesack  was  seen  on  the  edge  of  the  bank  fixed  like  a  statue, 
with  foot  and  arm  extended,  looking  with  a  stern  gaze  towards 
this  appalling  spectacle.  Arnold  recoiled  apace  and  brought  his 
hand  across  his  eyes,  and  was  revealed  in  this  posture  as  he  ex- 
claimed in  his  marked  Dutch  accent,  "The  fisherman's  blood  is 
turned  to  fire  :  we  had  best  go  no  further,  masters."  Dauntrees 
had  advanced  half-way  down  the  bank,  and  the  glare  disclosed 
nim  as  suddenly  arrested  in  his  career ;  his  sword  gleamed  above 


BOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  109 

his  head  whilst  his  short  cloak  was  drawn  by  the  motion  of  his 
left  arm  under  his. chin  ;  and  his  broad  beaver,  pistoled  belt,  and 
wide  boots,  now  tinged  with  the  preternatural  light,  gave  to  his 
figure  that  rich  effect  which  painters  are  pleased  to  copy. 

"  I  saw  Satan's  imps  within  the  chamber,"  exclaimed  the 
Captain.  "  I  saw  the  very  servitors  of  the  Fiend  !  They  are 
many  and  mischievous,  and  shall  be  defied  though  we  battle  with 
the  Prince  of  the  Air.  What  ho,  bastards  of  Beelzebub,  I 
defy  thee  !  in  the  name  of  our  patron,  the  holy  and  blessed  St. 
Ignatius,  I  defy  thee  !" 

There  was  a  deeper  darkness  as  Dauntrees  rushed  almost  to 
the  door  of  the  house  with  his  sword  in  his  hand.  Again  the 
same  deep  flashes  of  fire  illumed  the  windows,  and  two  or  three 
strange  figures  of  men,  in  muffled  cloaks,  were  seen,  for  the  in- 
stant, within.  Dauntrees  retreated  a  few  steps  nearer  to  his 
companions,  and  drawing  a  pistol,  held  it  ready  for  instant  use. 
It  was  discharged  at  the  windows  with  the  next  flash  of  the 
light,  and  the  report  was  followed  by  a  hoarse  and  yelling  laugh 
from  the  tenants  of  the  house. 

"  Once  more  I  defy  thee  !"  shouted  the  Captain,  with  a  loud 
voice  :  "  and  in  the  name  of  our  holy  church,  and  by  the  order 
of  the  Lord  Proprietary,  I  demand  what  do  you  here  with  these 
hellish  rites.  V 

The  answer  was  returned  in  a  still  louder  laugh,  and  in  a  shot 
fired  at  the  challenger,  the  momentary  light  of  the  explosion  re- 
vealing, as  Dauntrees  imagined,  a  cloaked  figure  presenting  a 
harquebuss  through  the  window. 

"  Protect  yourselves,  friends  !."  he  exclaimed,  "  with  such 
shelter  as  you  may  find,"  at  the  same  time  retreating  to  the 
cover  of  an  oak  which  stood  upon  the  bank.  "  These  demons 
show  weapons  like  our  own.  I  will  e'en  ply  the  trade  with  thee, 
accursed  spirits  !"  he  added,  as  he  discharged  a  second  pistol. 


110 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 


The  Ranger  and  Pamesack  had  already  taken  shelter,  and 
their  carbines  were  also  levelled  and  fired.  Some  two  or  three 
shots  were  returned  from  the  house  accompanied  with  the  same 
rude  laugh  which  attended  the  first  onset,  and  the  scene,  for  a  mo- 
ment, would  have  been  thought  rather  to  resemble  the  assault 
and  defence  of  mortal  foes,  than  the  strife  of  men  with  intangible 
goblins,  but  that  there  were  mixed  with  it  other  accompaniments 
altogether  unlike  the  circumstance  of  mortal  battle  ;  a  heavy 
Bound,  as  of  rolling  thunder,  echoed  from  the  interior  of  the 
chapel,  and  in  the  glimpses  of  light,  antic  figures  within  were 
discerned  dancing  with  strange  and  preposterous  motions. 

"It  avails  us  not  to  contend  against  these  fiends,"  said  Da un- 
trees.  "  They  are  enough  to  maintain  their  post  against  us, 
even  if  they  fought  with  human  implements.  Our  task  is  ac- 
complished by  gaining  sight  of  the  Chapel  and  its  inmates.  We 
may  certify  what  we  have  seen  to  his  Lordship  ;  so,  masters, 
move  warily  and  quickly  rearward.  Ay,  laugh  again,  you 
juggling  minions  of  the  devil  !"  he  said,  as  a  hoarse  shout  of  ex- 
ultation resounded  from  the  house,  when  the  assailants  com- 
menced their  retreat.  "  Come  into  the  field  as  veritable  men  and 
we  may  deal  with  you  !  Forward,  Arnold  ;  if  we  tarry,  our 
retreat  may  be  vexed  with  dangers  against  which  we  are  not 
provided." 

"  I  hope  this  is  the  last  time  we  shall  visit  this  devil's  den," 
said  Arnold,  as  he  obeyed  the  Captain's  injunction,  and  moved, 
as  rapidly  as  his  long  stride  would  enable  him  to  walk,  from  the 
scene  of  -their  late  assault. 

"Whilst  these  events  were  passing,  I  turn  back  to  the  publican, 
who  was  left  a  full  mile  in  the  rear  to  guard  the  baggage  and 
keep  up  the  fire, — a  post,  as  he  described  it,  of  no  small 
danger. 

It  was  with  a  mistrusting  conscience,  as  to  the  propriety  of 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  Ill 

his  separation  from  his  companions,  that  Garret,  when  he  had 
leisure  for  reflection,  set  himself  to  scanning  his  deportment  at 
this  juncture.  His  chief  scruple  had  reference  to  the  point  of 
view  in  which  Dauntrees  and  Arnold  de  la  Grange  would  here- 
after represent  this  incident  :  would  they  set  it  down,  as  Weasel 
hoped  they  might,  to  the  account  of  a  proper  and  soldier-like  dis- 
position of  the  forces,  which  required  a  detachment  to  defend  a 
weak  point  ?  or  would  they  not  attribute  his  hanging  back  to  a 
want  of  courage,  which  his  conscience  whispered  was  not  alto- 
gether so  wide  of  truth  ?  There  are  many  brave  men,  he  re- 
flected, who  have  a  constitutional  objection  to  fighting  in  the 
dark,  and  he  was  rather  inclined  to  rank  himself  in  that  class. 
"  In  the  dark,"  said  he,  as  he  sat  down  by  the  fire,  with  his 
hands  locked  across  his  knees,  which  were  drawn  up  before  him 
in  grasshopper  angles,  and  looked  steadily  at  the  blazing  brush- 
wood ;  in  the  dark  a  man  cannot  see — that  stands  to  reason. 
And  it  makes  a  great  difference,  let  me  tell  you,  masters,  when 
you  can't  see  your  enemy.  A  brave  man,  by  nature,  requires 
light.  And,  besides,  what -sort  of  an  enemy  do  we  fight  ?  Hob- 
goblins— not  mortal  man — for  I  would  stand  up  to  any  mortal 
man  in  Christendom  ;  ay,  and  with  odds  against  me.  I  have 
done  it  before  now.  But  these  whirring  and  whizzing  ghosts  and 
their  cronies,  that  fly  about  one's  ears  like  cats,  and  purr  and 
mew  like  bats — what  am  I  saying  ?  no,  fly  like  bats  and  mew  like 
cats — one  may  cut  and  carve  at  them  with  his  blade  with  no 
more  wound  than  a  boy's  wooden  truncheon  makes  upon  the 
wind.  Besides,  the  Captain,  who  is  all  in  all  in  his  command, 
hath  set  me  here  to  watch,  which,  as  it  were,  was  a  forbidding 
of  me  to  go  onward.  He  must  be  obeyed  :  a  good  soldier  dis- 
putes no  order,  although  it  go  against  his  stomach.  It  was  the 
Captain's  wish  that  I  should  keep  strict  watch  and  ward  here  on 
the  skirt  of  the  wood  ;  otherwise    I  should  have  followed  him — 


112  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

and  with  stout  heart  and  step,  I  warrant  you  !  But  the  Captain 
hath  a  soldierly  sagacity  in  his  cautions  ;  holding  this  spot,  as  he 
wisely  hath  done,  to  be  an  open  point  of  danger,  an  inlet,  as  it 
were,  to  circumvent  his  march,  and  therefore  straightly  to  be 
looked  to.  Well,  let  the  world  wag,  and  the  upshot  be  what  it 
may,  here  are  comforts  at  hand,  and  I  will  not  stint  to  use 
them." 

Saying  this  the  self-satisfied  martialist  opened  the  basket 
and  solaced  his  appetite  with  a  slice  of  pasty  and  a  draught  of 
wine. 

"  I  will  now  perform  a  turn  of  duty,"  he  continued,  after  his 
refreshment  ;  and  accordingly  drawing  his  hanger,  he  set  forth  to 
make  a  short  circuit  into  the  open  field.  He  proceeded  with  be- 
coming caution  on  this  perilous  adventure,  looking  slyly  at  every 
weed  or  bush  that  lay  in  his  route,  shuddering  with  a  chilly  fear 
at  the  sound  of  his  own  footsteps,  and  especially  scanning,  with  a 
disturbed  glance,  the  vibrations  of  his  long  and  lean  shadow  which 
was  sharply  cast  by  the  fire  across  the  level  ground.  He  had 
wandered  some  fifty  paces  into  the  field,  on  this  valorous  outlook, 
when  he  bethought  him  that  he  had  ventured  far  enough,  and 
might  now  return,  deeming  it  more  safe  to  be  near  the  fire  and 
the  horses  than  out  upon  a  lonesome  plain,  which  he  believed  to 
be  infested  by  witches  and  their  kindred  broods.  He  had  scarcely 
set  his  face  towards  his  original  post  when  an  apparition  came 
upon  his  sight  that  filled  him  with  horror,  and  caused  his  hair  to 
rise  like  bristles.  This  was  the  real  bodily  form  and  proportions  of 
such  a  spectre  as  might  be  supposed  to  prefer  such  a  spot — an 
old  woman  in  a  loose  and  ragged  robe,  who  was  seen  gliding  up 
to  the  burning  fagots  with  a  billet  of  pine  in  her  hand,  which  she 
lighted  at  the  fire  and  then  waved  above  her  head  as  she  advanced 
into  the  field  towards  the  innkeeper.  Weasel's  tongue  clave  to 
the  roof  of  his  mouth,  and  his  teeth  chattered  audibly  against  each 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  113 

other,  his  knees  smote  together,  and  his  eyes  glanced  steadfastly 
upon  the  phantom.  For  a  moment  he  lost  the  power  of  utterance  or 
motion,  and  when  these  began  to  return,  as  the  hag  drew  nearer, 
his  impulse  was  to  fly  ;  but  his  bewildered  reflection  came  to  his 
aid  and  suggested  greater  perils  in  advance  :  he  therefore  stood 
stock  still. 

"Heaven  have  mercy  upon  me  ! — the  Lord  have  mercy  upon 
me,  a  sinner  !"  he  ejaculated  ;  "  I  am  alone,  and  the  enemy  has 
come  upon  me." 

"  Watcher  of  the  night,"  said  a  voice,  in  a  shrill  note,  "  draw 
nigh.     What  do  you  seek  on  the  wold  ?" 

"  Tetra  grammaton,  Aliased — in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Evan- 
gels, spare  me  !"  muttered  the  innkeeper,  fruitlessly  ransacking  his 
memory  for  some  charm  against  witches,  and  stammering  out  an 
incoherent  jargon.  "Abracadabra — spare  me,  excellent  and  worthy 
dame  !  I  seek  no  hurt  to  thee.  I  am  old,  mother,  too  old  and 
with  too  many  sins  of  my  own  to  account  for,  to  wish  harm  to 
any  one,  much  less  to  the  good  woman  of  this  wold.  0  Lord, 
O  Lord  !  why  was  I  seduced  upon  this  fool's  errand  ?" 

"  Come  nigh,  old  man,  when  I  speak  to  you.  Why  do  you 
loiter  there  ?"  shouted  the  witch,  as  she  stood  erect  some  twenty 
paces  in  front  of  the  publican  and  beckoned  him  with  her  blazing- 
fagot.     "  What  dost  thou  mutter  ?" 

"  I  but  sported  with  my  shadow,  mother,"  replied  Weasel, 
with  a  tremendous  attempt  at  a  laugh,  as  he  approached  the  ques- 
tioner, in  an  ill  assumed  effort  at  composure  and  cheerfulness.  "  1 
was  fain  to  divert  myself  with  an  antic,  till  some  friends  of  mine, 
who  left  me  but  a  moment  since,  returned.  How  goes  the  night 
with  you,  dame  ?" 

"  Merrily,"  replied  the  hag,  as  she  set  up  a  shrill  laugh  which 
more  resembled  a  scream,  "merrily  ;  I  cannot  but  laugh  to  find 
the  henpecked  vintner  of  St.  Mary's  at  this  time  of  night  within  the 


Ill    '  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

sound  of  the  tide  at  the  Black  Chapel.  I  know  your  errand,  old 
chapman  of  cheap  liquors,  and  why  you  have  brought  your  cro- 
nies. You  pretend  to  be  a  liegeman  of  his  Lordship,  and  you 
travel  all  night  to  cheat  him  of  five  shillings.  You  will  lie  on  the 
morrow  with  as  sad  a  face  as  there  is  in  the  hundred.  I  know 
you." 

"  You  know  all  things,  worthy  dame,  and  I  were  a  fool  to 
keep  a  secret  from  you.  What  new  commodity,  honest  mistress, 
shall  I  find  with  Rob  ?  The  port  is  alive  with  a  rumor  of  the 
Olive  Branch  ;  I  would  be  early  with  the  Cripple.  Ha,  ha  !"  he 
added,  with  a  fearful  laugh,  "  thou  seest  I  am  stirring  in  my 
trade." 

"Garret  Weasel,"  said  the  beldam,  "you  may  take  it  for  a 
favor,  past  your  deservings,  that  Rob  will  see  you  alone  at  his 
hut  even  in  day  time  :  but  it  is  as  much  as  your  life  is  worth 
to  bring  your  huffcap  brawlers  to  St.  Jerome's  at  midnight.  It 
is  not  lawful  ground  for  you,  much  less  for  the  hot-brained  fools 
who  bear  you  company.  Who  showed  them  the  path  to  my  cabin, 
that  I  must  be  driven  out  at  this  hour  ?" 

"  Worthy  mistress,  indeed  I  know  not.  I  am  ignorant  of  what 
you  say  ?" 

"  They  will  call  themselves  friends  to  the  Chapel ;  but  we 
have  no  friends  to  the  Chapel  amongst  living  men.  The  Chapel 
belongs  to  the  dead  and  the  tormentors  of  the  dead.  So  follow 
your  cronies  and  command  them  back.  I  warn  you  to  follow,  and 
bring  them  back,  as  you  would  save  them  from  harm.  Ha  !  look 
you,  it  is  come  already  !"  she  exclaimed,  raising  her  torch  in  the 
air,  as  the  flashes  from  the  Haunted  House  illumined  the  hori- 
zon :  "  the  seekers  have  aroused  our  sentries,  and  there  shall  be 
angry  buffets  to  the  back  of  it  !"  At  this  moment  the  first  shot 
was  heard.  "  Friends,  forsooth  !"  she  shouted  at  the  top  of  her 
voice  :   "  friends,  are  ye  ?  there  is  the  token  that  you  are  known 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  115 

to  be  false  liars.  Wo  to  the  fool  that  plants  his  foot  before  the 
Chapel  !  Stand  there,  Garret  Weasel  :  I  must  away.  Follow 
me  but  a  step — raise  thy  head  to  look  after  my  path,  and  I  will 
strike  thee  blind  and  turn  thee  into  a  drivelling  idiot  for  the  rest 
of  thy  days.     Remember — " 

In  uttering  this  threat  the  figure  disappeared  ;  Garret  knew 
not  how,  as  he  strictly  obeyed  the  parting  injunction,  and  his 
horrors  were  greatly  increased  by  the  report  of  the  several  shots 
which  now  reached  his  ear  from  the  direction  of  the  Black 
House. 

He  had  hardly  recovered  himself  sufficiently  to  wander  back 
to  the  fire,  before  Dauntrees,  Arnold,  and  Pamesack  arrived, 
evidently  flurried  by  the  scene  through  which  they  had  passed, 
as  well  as  by  the  rapidity  of  their  retreat. 

"  Some  wine,  Garret !  some  wine,  old  master  of  the  tap  !" 
was  Dauntrees'  salutation  ;  "and  whilst  we  regale  as  briefly  as 
we  may,  have  our  horses  loose  from  the  trees  ;  we  must  mount 
and  away.     To  the  horses,  Garret !     We  will  help  ourselves." 

"  I  pray  you,  Master  Captain,"  inquired  the  publican,  having 
now  regained  his  self-possession,  "what  speed  at  the  Chapel? 
Oh,  an  we  have  all  had  a  night  of  it !  Sharp  encounters  all 
round,  masters  !     I  can  tell  you  a  tale  !" 

"  Stop  not  to  prate  now,"  interrupted  Dauntrees,  in  a  voice 
choked  by  the  huge  mouthful  of  the  pasty  he  was  devouring  ; 
"  we  shall  discourse  as  we  ride.  That  flask,  Arnold — I  must 
have  another  draught  e'er  we  mount,  and  then,  friends,  to  horse 
as  quickly  as  you  may  ;  we  may  be  followed  ;  we  may  have 
ghost,  devil,  and  man  of  flesh,  all  three,  at  our  heels." 

"  I  have  had  store  of  them,  I  can  tell  you — ghosts  and 
devils  without  number,"  said  Weasel,  as  he  brought  the  horses 
forward. 

"  You  shall  be  tried  by  an  inquest  of  both,  for  your  life,  if 


116  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

you  tarry  another  instant,"  interposed  the  Captain,  as  he  sprang 
into  his  saddle. 

"  What !  are  we  set  upon,  comrades  V  cried  out  the  vintner, 
manfully,  as  he  rose  to  his  horse's  back,  and  pricked  forward 
until  he  got  between  Pamesack  and  Arnold.  "  Are  we  set 
upon  ?  Let  us  halt  and  give  them  an  accolado  ;  we  are  enough 
for  them,  I  warrant  you  !  01),  but  it  had  well  nigh  been  a 
bloody  night !"  he  continued,  as  the  whole  party  trotted  briskly 
from  the  ground.  "  We  had  work  to  do,  masters,  and  may  tell 
of  it  to-morrow.  Good  Pamesack,  take  this  basket  from  me,  it 
impedes  my  motion  in  these  bushes.  Master  Arnold,  as  we 
must  ride  here  in  single  files,  let  me  get  before  :  I  would  speak 
with  the  Captain.  Who  should  I  see,  Captain  Dauntrees," 
continued  the  publican,  after  these  arrangements  were  made, 
and  he  had  thrust  himself  into  the  middle  of  the  line  of  march, 
and  all  now  proceeded  at  a  slackened  pace,  "but  that  most 
notorious  and  abominable  hag,  the  woman  of  Warrington,  Kate, 
who  lives,  as  every  body  knows,  on  the  Cliffs.  She  must  needs 
come  trundling  down  before  me,  astride  a  broomstick,  with  a 
black  cat  upon  her  shoulder,  and  sail  up  to  the  fire  which  I  had 
left,  for  a  space,  to  make  a  round  on  my  watch — for  you  may  be 
sworn  a  strict  watch  I  made  of  it,  going  even  out  of  my  way  to 
explore  the  more  hidden  and  perilous  lurking-places  where  one 
might  suspect  an  enemy  to  lie.  So,  whilst  I  was  gone  on  this 
quest,  she  whips  in  and  seats  herself  by  the  fire,  with  a  whole 
score  of  devils  at  their  antics  around  her.  Then  up  I  come, 
naturally  surprised  at  this  audacity,  and  question  them,  partly  in 
soldier-wise,  showing  my  sword  ready  to  make  good  my  speech, 
and  partly  by  adjuration,  which  soon  puts  the  whole  bevy  tc 
flight,  leaving  Kate  of  Warrington  at  mercy :  and  there  I 
constrained  her  to  divulge  the  secrets  of  the  Chapel.  She  said 
there  had  been  devilish  work  under  that  roof,   and  would  be 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  1 1  *T 

again  ;  when  pop,  and  bang,  and  slash,  and  crash,  I  heard  the 
outbreak,  and  saw  the  devil's  lights  that  were  flashed.  I  could 
hold  no  longer  parley  with  the  hag,  but  was  just  moving  off  at 
full  speed  to  your  relief,  determined  in  this  need  to  desert  my 
post — which,  in  my  impatience  to  lend  you  a  hand,  I  could  not 
help — when  I  heard  your  footfall  coming  back,  and  so  I  was  fain 
to  bide  your  coming." 

"  A  well  conceived  sally  of  soldiership,"  said  Dauntrees, 
"and  spoken  with  a  cavalier  spirit,  Master  Garret.  It  has 
truth  upon  the  face  of  it :  I  believe  every  word.  It  shall  serve 
you  a  good  turn  with  his  Lordship.  What  does  Kate  of 
Warrington  in  this  neighborhood  ?  She  travels  far  on  her 
broomstick — unless,  indeed,  what  seems  likely,  she  has  taken 
her  quarters  in  the  cabin  we  disturbed  to-night.  These  crows 
will  be  near  their  carrion." 

By  degrees  the  party,  as  they  pursued  their  homeward 
journey,  grew  drowsy.  The  publican  had  lost  his  garrulity,  and 
nodded  upon  his  horse.  Arnold  and  Pamesack  rode  in  silence, 
until  Dauntrees,  as  if  waking  up  from  a  reverie,  said — 

"Well,  friends,  we  return  from  no  barren  mission  to-night. 
His  Lordship  may  have  some  satisfaction  in  our  story ;  par- 
ticularly in  the  vintner's.  We  shall  be  ready  to  report  to  his 
Lordship  by  noon,  and  after  that  we  shall  hasten  to  quiet  our 
Dame  Dorothy.  The  night  is  far  spent :  I  should  take  it, 
Arnold,  to  be  past  three  o'clock,  by  the  rising  of  the  moon. 
At  peep  of  day  we  shall  be  sung  upon  our  pallets,  with  no  loss 
of  relish  for  a  sleep  which  will  have  been  well  earned." 

As  the  Captain  continued  to  urge  his  journey,  which  he  did 
with  the  glee  that  waits  upon  a  safe  deliverance  from  an  exploit 
of  hazard,  he  turned  his  face  upwards  to  the  bright  orb  which 
threw  a  cheerful  light  over  the  scenery  of  the  road-side,  and  in 
the  distance  flung  a  reflection,  as  of  burnished  silver,  over  the 
5* 


118  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

broad  surface  of  St.  Mary's  river,  as  seen  from  the  height  which 
the'  travellers  were  now  descending.  Not  more  than  two  miles 
of  their  route  remained  to  be  achieved,  when  the  Captain  broke 
forth  with  an  old  song  of  that  day,  in  a  voice  which  would  not 
have  discredited  a  professor  : 

"The moon,  the  moon,  the  jolly  moon, 
And  a  jolly  old  queen  is  she ! 
She  hath  stroll'd  o'  nights  this  thousand  year, 
With  ever  the  best  of  company. 

Sing,  Hie  and  hoc  sumus  nocturno, 

Huzza  for  the  jolly  old  moon  !" 

"  Why,  Garret,  vintner — asleep,  man  ?"  inquired  the  Cap- 
tain.    "  Why  do  you  not  join  in  the  burden  ?" 

"To  your  hand,  Captain,"  exclaimed  Weasel,  rousing  himself 
and  piping  forth  a  chorus — 

"  Hie  and  hoc  sumus  nocturno, 
Huzza  for  the  jolly  old  moonl" 

which  he  did  not  fail  to  repeat  at  the  top  of  his  voice  at  each 
return. 

Dauntrees  proceeded  : 

"  She  trails  a  royal  following, 

And  a  merry  mad  court  doth  keep, 

WTith  her  chirping  boys  that  walk  f  the  shade, 

And  wake  when  the  bailiff's  asleep. 

Sing,  Hie  and  hoc  sumus  nocturno 

Huzza  for  the  jolly  old  moon! 

"  Master  Owl  he  is  her  chancellor, 
And  the  bat  is  his  serving-man  ; 
They  tell  no  tales  of  what  they  see, 
But  wink  when  we  turn  up  the  can. 
Sing,  Hie  and  hoc  sumus  nocturno, 
Huzza  for  the  jolly  old  moon  1 

"Her  chorister  is  Goodman  Frog, 
With  a  glow-worm  for  his  link  ; 
And  all  who  would  make  court  to  her, 
Are  fain,  good  faith  !  to  drink. 

Sing,  Hie  and  hoc  sumus  nocturno, 

Huzza  for  the  jolly  old  moon I" 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  119 

This  ditty  was  scarcely  concluded — for  it  was  spun  out  with 
^voral  noisy  repetitions  of  the  chorus — before  the  troop  reined 
ip  at  the  gate  of  the  Fort.  The  drowsy  sentinel  undid  the  bolt 
at  the  Captain's  summons,  and,  in  a  very  short  space,  the  wearied 
adventurers  were  stretched  in  the  enjoyment  of  that  most 
satisfactory  of  physical  comforts,  the  deep  sleep  of  tired  men. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


There  remains 
A  rugged  trunk,  dismernber'd  and  unsightly, 
Waiting  the  bursting  of  the  final  bolt 
To  splinter  it  to  shivers. 

The  Doom  of  Devorooiu 


The  shore  of  the  Chesapeake  between  Cape  St.  Michael — as  the 
northern  headland  at  the  mouth  of  the  Potomac  was  denominated 
by  the  early  settlers — and  the  Patuxent,  is  generally  flat,  and 
distinguished  by  a  clear  pebbly  beach  or  strand.  The  shore, 
comprising  about  twenty  miles,  is  intersected  by  a  single  creek, 
that  of  St.  Jerome,  which  enters  the  bay  some  five  or  six  miles 
north  of  the  Potomac.  The  line  of  beach,  which  I  have  referred 
to,  is  here  and  there  relieved  by  small  elevations  which  in  any 
other  region  would  scarce  deserve  the  name,  but  which  are  suffi- 
ciently prominent  in  this  locality  to  attract  remark.  From  the 
general  level  of  the  country  they  rise  high  enough  to  afford 
a  clear  prospect  over  the  wide  waters,  and  no  less  to  distinguish 
the  landward  perspective  to  the  mariner  whose  eye  eagerly  seeks 
the. varieties  of  landscape  as  he  holds  his  course  up  the  bay.  At 
a  few  points  these  small  hills  terminate  immediately  upon  the  tide 
in  the  abrupt  form  of  a  cliff,  and,  at  others,  take  the  shape  of  a 
knoll  sinking  away  by  a  rapid,  but  grass-covered,  declivity  to  the 
strand.  This  latter  feature  is  observable  in  the  vicinity  of  St. 
Jerome's,  where  the  slope  falls  somewhat  abruptly  to  the  level 
of  the  tide,  leaving  something  above  fifty  paces  in  width  of  low 


KOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  12.1 

ground  between  its  base  and  the  ordinary  water-mark.  It  was 
upon  tins  flat  that,  in  ancient  times,  stood  the  dwelling-house  of 
Paul  Kelpy  the  fisherman — a  long,  low  building  of  deal  boards, 
constructed  somewhat  in  the  shape  of  a  warehouse  or  magazine. 
Some  quarter  of  a  mile  farther  up  the  beach,  so  sheltered  under 
the  brow  of  the  slope  as  scarcely  to  be  seen  amongst  the  natural 
shrubbery  that  shaded  it,  stood  a  cottage  or  hut  of  very  humble 
pretensions.  It  was  so  low  that  a  man  of  ordinary  height,  while 
standing  at  the  door,  might  lay  his  hand  upon  the  eaves  of 
the  roof,  and,  correspondent  to  its  elevation,  it  was  so  scanty 
in  space  as  to  afford  but  two  apartments,  of  which  the  largest 
was  not  above  ten  feet  square.  It  was  strongly  built  of  hewn 
logs,  and  the  door,  strengthened  by  nails  thickly  studded  over  its 
surface,  was  further  fortified  by  a  heavy  padlock,  which  rendered 
it  sufficiently  impregnable  against  a  sharper  assault  than  might 
be  counted  on  from  such  as  ordinarily  should  find  motive  to 
molest  the  proprietor  of  such  a  dwelling. 

A  small  enclosure  surrounded  the  hut  and  furnished  ground 
for  some  common  garden  plants  which  were  not  neglected  in  their 
culture.  A  few  acres,  on  the  higher  plain  above  the  bank,  ex- 
hibited signs  of  husbandry  ;  and  the  small  nets  and  other  fishing 
tackle  disposed  about  the  curtilage,  together  with  a  skiff  drawn 
up  on  the  sand,  gave  evidence  of  the  ostensible  thrift  by  which 
the  occupant  of  the  hut  obtained  a  livelihood. 

To  this  spot  I  propose  to  introduce  my  reader,  the  day  pre- 
ceding that  at  which  my  story  has  been  opened.  It  was  about 
an  hour  before  sunset,  and  a  light  drizzling  rain,  with  a  steady 
wind  from  the  north-east,  infused  a  chilly  gloom  into  the  air,  and 
heightened  the  tone  of  solitude  which  prevailed  over  the  scene. 
A  thin  curl  of  smoke  which  rose  from  the  clumsy  chimney  of  the 
hut  gave  a  sign  of  habitation  to  the  premises,  and  this  was 
further  confirmed  by  the  presence  of  a  large  and  cross-visa  ged 


122  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

mastiff-bitch,  whose  heavy  head  might  be  discerned  thrust  forth 
from  beneath  the  sill  of  the  gable, — a  sullen  warder  of  this  sullen 
place  of  strength.  The  waves,  now  propelled  upon  a  flood  tide, 
rolled  in  upon  the  shore,  and  broke  almost  at  the  door  of  the 
hut,  with  a  hoarse  and  harsh  and  ceaseless  plash.  Far  out  over 
the  bay,  the  white  caps  of  the  wind-driven  surge  floated  like 
changing  snow-drifts  upon  the  surface  of  the  waters.  The  water 
fowl  rose  in  squadrons  above  this  murky  waste  and  struggled  to 
windward,  in  a  flight  so  low  as  frequently  to  shield  them  from 
the  sight  in  the  spray.  An  old  bald  eagle  perched  on  the  loft- 
iest branch  of  a  lightning-riven  tree,  immediately  upon  the  bank 
above  the  hut,  kept  anxious  watch  upon  her  nest  which,  built  in 
the  highest  fork,  rocked  to  and  fro  in  the  breeze,  whilst  her 
screams  of  warning  to  her  young  seemed  to  answer  to  the  din  of 
the  waters. 

In  the  larger  apartment  of  the  hut  a  few  fagots  blazed  upon 
the  hearth,  supplying  heat  to  a  pot  that  simmered  above  them, 
the  care  of  which,  together  with  other  culinary  operations,  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  a  brown,  haggard  and  weather-beaten 
woman,  who  plied  this  household  duty  with  a  silent  and  mechan- 
ical thrift.  She  was  not  the  only  tenant  of  the  dwelling.  Re- 
mote from  the  hearth,  and  immediately  below  a  small  window, 
sat,  apparently  upon  the  floor,  a  figure  eminently  calculated  to 
challenge  observation.  His  features  were  those  of  a  man  of 
seventy,  sharp,  shrewd  and  imprinted  with  a  deep  trace  of  care. 
His  frame  indicated  the  possession,  at  an  earlier  period  of  his  life, 
of  the  highest  degree  of  strength  ;  it  was  broad  in  the  shoulders, 
ample  in  chest,  and  still  muscular,  although  deprived  of  its  round- 
ness by  age.  His  dress,  of  coarse  green  serge,  made  into  a  dou- 
blet with  skirts  that  fell  both  front  and  rear,  secured  by  a 
leathern  belt,  was  so  contrived  as  to  conceal,  in  his  present 
posture,  his  lower  extremities.     A  broad  ruff  received  his  locks 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  123 

of  iron  gray,  which  fell  over  his  back  in  crisp  .wiry  curls  :  a  thick 
grizzly  beard,  of  the  same  hue,  gave  an  elongation  to  his  coun- 
tenance which  imparted  to  the  observer  the  unpleasant  impression 
of  a  head  disproportionably  large  for  the  body,  at  least  as  seen 
in  its  present  aspect.  His  eyes,  dark  and  unusually  clear,  were 
sunk  deep  in  their  sockets,  whilst  a  shaggy  and  matted  brow, 
overhanging  them  like  a  porch,  gave  sometimes  an  almost  preter- 
natural brilliancy  to  their  quick  and  changeful  glances — like  the 
sparkling  of  water  when  agitated  in  a  well.  It  was  observable 
from  the  dropping  in  of  the  upper  jaw  that  he  had  lost  his  teeth, 
and  this  had  given  a  tendency  of  the  strong  furrowed  lines  and 
seams,  with  which  his  features  were  marked,  to  converge  towards 
the  mouth. 

His  girdle  sustained  a  long  knife  or  dagger,  which  apparently 
constituted  a  part  of  his  ordinary  equipment  ;  and  the  oblique 
flash  of  his  eye,  and  tremulous  motion  of  his  thin  lip,  betrayed  a 
temperament,  from  which  one  might  infer  that  this  weapon  of 
offence  was  not  worn  merely  as  an  ornament  of  the  person. 

The  individual  described  in  this  summary  was  familiar  to 
report,  throughout  the  province,  as  The  Cripple.  His  true  name 
was  supposed  to  be  Robert  Swale, — but  this  was  almost  lost  in 
the  pervading  popular  designation  of  Rob  of  the  Bowl,  or 
Trencher  Rob — an  appellative  which  he  had  borne  ever  since  his 
arrival  in  the  province,  now  some  fifteen  years  gone  by.  Of  his 
history  but  little  was  known,  and  that  little  was  duly  mystified, 
in  the  public  repute,  by  the  common  tendency  in  the  vulgar  mind 
to  make  the  most  of  any  circumstance  of  suspicion.  The  story 
went  that  he  had  been  shipwrecked,  on  a  winter  voyage,  upon 
this  coast,  and,  after  suffering  incredible  hardships,  had  saved  hia 
life  only  at  the  expense  of  the  loss  of  both  legs  by  frost.  In  this 
maimed  condition  he  had  reached  the  shore  of  the  province,  and 
some  time  afterwards  built  the  hut  in  which  he  now  dwelt,  neai 


124  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

the  nioutk  of  St.  Jerome's.  Here  he  had  passed  many  years, 
without  attracting  other  notice  than  such  as  the  stinted  charity 
of  the  world  affords  when  it  is  exercised  upon  the  fate  or  fortunes 
of  an  obscure  recluse.  This  observation  began  to  find  a  broader 
scope  as  soon  as  it  became  obvious  that  the  hermit  was  not 
altogether  an  object  for  almsgiving  ;  and  the  little  world  of  this 
part  of  the  province  discovering,  in  process  of  time,  that  he  was 
not  absolutely  penniless,  were  fain  to  take  offence  at  the  mystery 
of  his  means  of  earning  his  frugal  subsistence.  Before  many 
years,  some  few  of  the  traders  and  country  people  round  had 
found  out  that  Rob  was  occasionally  possessed  of  good  merchant- 
able commodities  much  in  request  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  port, 
and  dark  whispers  were  sometimes  circulated  touching  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  came  by  them.  These  surmises  were  not  made 
topics  of  public  discussion  for  two  reasons  ; — -first,  because  it  was 
not  inconvenient  or  unprofitable  to  the  traders  in  the  secret  to 
deal  with  Rob  ; — and  secondly,  Rob  was  not  a  man  to  allow  this 
indulgence  of  idle  speculation  ;  he  was  of  an  irascible  temper,  free 
to  strike  when  crossed,  and,  what  was  still  more  to  be  feared,  had 
friends  who  were  not  unwilling  to  take  up  his  quarrel.  The  loss 
of  his  legs  was  supplied  by  a  wooden  bowl  or  trencher,  of  an 
elliptical  shape,  to  which  his  thighs  were  attached  by  a  strap, 
and  this  rude  contrivance  was  swayed  forward,  when  the  owner 
chose,  by  the  aid  of  two  short  crutches,  which  enabled  him  to  lift 
himself  from  the  ground  and  assume  a  progressive  motion.  It 
was  to  the  exercise  which  this  mode  of  locomotion  imposed  upon 
his  upper  limbs,  that  the  unusual  breadth  and  squareness  of  his 
figure  about  the  shoulders,  as  well  as  the  visible  manifestations 
of  strength  of  arm  for  which  he  was  remarkable,  were  in  part, 
perhaps,  to  be  attributed.  Use  had  made  him  expert  in  the 
management  of  his  bowl,  and  he  could  keep  pace  pretty  fairly 
with  an  ordinary  walker.     The  Cripple  was  a  man  of  unsocial 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  125 

habits  and  ascetic  life,  although  there  were  times  in  which  his 
severe  temper  relaxed  into  an  approach  to  companionable  enjoy- 
ment, and  then  his  intercourse  with  the  few  who  had  access  to 
him  was  marked  by  a  sarcastic  humor  and  keen  ridicule  of  human 
action  which  showed  some  grudge  against  the  world,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  denoted  conversancy  with  mankind  and  by  no  means 
a  deficiency  of  education.  But,  in  general,  his  vein  was  peevish, 
and  apt  to  vent  itself  in  indiscriminate  petulance  or  stern  re- 
proof. 

A  small  painting  of  St.  Romuald  at  his  devotions,  by  the  hand 
of  Salvator  himself,  hung  over  a  dressing  table  in  the  back  room 
of  the  hut  in  which  the  bed  of  The  Cripple  was  placed  ;  and  this 
exquisite  gem  of  art,  which  the  possessor  seemed  duly  to  appre- 
ciate, was  surmounted  by  a  crucifix,  indicating  the  religious  faith 
in  which  he  worshipped.  This  might  be  gathered  also  from  a  cu- 
rious, antique  pix,  of  heavy  gilded  metal,  a  ponderous  missal  with 
silver  clasps,  a  few  old  volumes  of  the  lives  of  the  saints,  and  other 
furniture  of  the  like  nature,  all  of  which  denoted  that  the  ingre- 
dient of  a  religious  devotee  formed  an  element  in  his  singular 
compound  of  character. 

The  superiority  of  his  mind  and  attainments  over  those  of  the 
mass  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  province  had  contributed  to  render 
The  Cripple  an  object  of  some  interest  as  well  as  of  distrust  amongst 
them,  and  this  sentiment  was  heightened  into  one  approaching  to 
vulgar  awe,  by  the  reputation  of  the  person  who  had  always  been 
somewhat  in  his  confidence,  and  now  attended  him  as  his  servi- 
tress  and  only  domestic.  This  person  was  the  ungainly  and  re- 
pulsive beldam  whom  I  have  already  noticed  as  ministering  in  the 
household  concerns  of  the  hut.  She  was  a  woman  who  had  long 
maintained  a  most  unenviable  fame  as  The  Woman  of  Warring- 
ton, in  the  small  hamlet  of  that  name  on  the  Cliffs  of  Patuxent, 
from  whence  .she  had  been  recently  transplanted  to  perform  the 


126  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

domestic  drudgery  in  which  we  have  found  her.  Her  habitation 
was  a  rude  hovel  some  few  hundred  paces  distant  from  the  hut  of 
The  Cripple,  on  the  margin  of  St.  Jerome's  creek,  and  within  gun 
shot  of  the  rear  of  the  Black  Chapel.  To  this  hovel,  after  her 
daily  work  was  done,  she  retired  to  pass  the  night,  leaving  her 
master  or  patron  to  that  solitude  which  he  seemed  to  prefer  to  any 
society.  The  surly  mastiff-bitch,  we  have  noticed,  alternately 
kept  guard  at  the  hut  of  the  master  and  domestic, — roving  be- 
tween the  two  in  nightly  patrol,  with  a  gruff  and  unsocial  fidelity, 
— no  unsuitable  go-between  to  so  strange  a  pair.  It  will  not  be 
wondered  at,  that,  in  a  superstitious  age,  such  an  association  as 
this  of  The  Cripple  and  the  crone,  in  the  vicinity  of  such  a  spot, 
desecrated,  as  the  fisherman's  lodge  had  been,  by  the  acting  of 
a  horrible  tragedy,  should  excite,  far  and  wide  amongst  the  peo- 
ple, a  sentiment  of  terror  sufficiently  potent  to  turn  the  steps  of 
the  wayfarer,  as  the  shades  of  evening  fell  around  him,  aside  from 
the  path  that  led  to  St.  Jerome's. 

The  Cripple,  at  the  time  when  I  have  chosen  to  present  him 
to  my  reader,  was  seated,  as  I  have  said,  immediately  beneath  the 
window.  A  pair  of  spectacles  assisted  his  vision  as  he  perused 
a  packet  of  papers,  several  of  which  lay  scattered  around  him. 
The  dim  light  for  a  while  perplexed  his  labor,  and  he  had  directed 
the  door  to  be  thrown  wide  open  that  he  might  take  advantage 
of  the  last  moment  before  the  approaching  twilight  should  arrest 
his  occupation.  Whilst  thus  employed,  the  deadened  sound  of  a 
shot  boomed  across  the  bay. 

"  Ha  !"  he  exclaimed  as  he  threw  aside  the  paper  in  his  hand 
and  directed  his  eyes  towards  the  water  ;  "  there  is  a  signal  ! — an 
ill  bird  is  frying  homeward.    Did  you  not  hear  that  shot,  woman?" 

"  I  had  my  dream  of  the  brigantine  two  nights  ago,"  replied 
the  servitress  ;  "  and  of  the  greedy  kite  that  calls  himself  Uer  mas- 
ter ; — the  shot  must  be  his." 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  127 

"  Whose  can  it  be  else  ?"  demanded  The  Cripple  sharply,  as 
he  swung  himself  forward  to  the  door-sill  and  shook  his  locks  from 
his  brow  in  the  act  of  straining  his  sight  across  the  dim  surface 
of  the  bay.  "  Ay,  ay  ;  there  it  is.  Hark — another  shot-! — that 
is  the  true  pass  word  between  us  : — Dickon,  sure  enough  ! — The 
brigantine  is  in  the  offing.  Cocklescraft  is  coming  in  with  the 
speed  of  a  gull.  He  comes  full  freighted — full  freighted,  as  is  his 
wont,  with  the  world's  plunder.  '  What  dole  hath  he  clone  this 
flight  ? — what  more  wealthy  knave  than  himself  hath  he  robbed  ? 
Mischief,  mischief,  mischief — good  store  of  it,  I'll  be  sworn  : — and 
a  keener  knave  than  himself  he  hath  not  found  in  his  wide  venture. 
He  will  be  coming  ashore  to  visit  The  Cripple,  ha  ! — he  shall  be 
welcome — as  he  ever  hath  been.  We  are  comrades, — we  are  cro- 
nies, and  merry  in  our  divisions — the  Skipper  and  the  Cripple — there 
is  concord  in  it — the  Skipper  and  the  Cripple — merry  men  both  !" 

These  uprisings  of  the  inner  thoughts  of  the  man  were  uttered 
in  various  tones — one  moment  scarce  audible,  the  next  with  an 
emphatic  enunciation,  as  if  addressed  to  his  companion  in  the  hut, 
and  sometimes  with  the  semblance  of  a  laugh,  or  rather  chuckle, 
which  was  wormwood  in  its  accent,  and  brought  the  rheum  from 
his  eye  down  his  cheek.  The  beldam,  accustomed  to  this  habit 
of  self-communion  in  The  Cripple,  apparently  heeded  not  these 
mutterings,  until  he,  at  length,  accosted  her  with  a  command. — 
"Mistress  Kate,  double  the  contents  of  your  pot ; — the  skipper 
and  some  of  his  men  will  be  here  presently,  as  keen  and  trenchant 
as  their  own  cutlasses.  They  will  be  hungry,  woman, — as  these 
salt-water  monsters  always  are  for  earthy  provender." 

"  Such  sharp-set  cattle  should  bring  their  provender  with 
them,"  replied  the  domestic,  as  she  went  about  increasing  hei  store 
of  provision  in  compliance  with  her  master's  directions. 

"  Or  the  good  red  gold,  or  the  good  red  gold,  old  jade,"  intei*- 
rupted  The  Cripple.     "  The  skipper  doth  not  shrink  in  the  girdle 


128  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

from  the  disease  of  a  lean  purse,  and  is  therefore  worthy  of  our 
worshipful  entertainment.  So  goes  the  world,  and  we  will  be  in 
the  fashion  ?  Though  the  world's  malisons  drive  him  hither  as 
before  a  tempest,  yet,  comes  he  rich  in  its  gear  ;  he  shall  have 
princely  reception.  I  am  king  of  this  castle,  and  ordain  it.  Is 
he  taking  in  sail  ? — is  he  seeking  an  anchorage  ?  Ha,  he  under- 
stands his  craft,  and  will  be  with  us  anon,"  he  continued,  as  he 
marked  the  movements  of  the  approaching  vessel. 

There  might  be  dimly  seen,  nearly  abreast  of  St.  Jerome's,  a 
close-reefed  brig,  holding  her  course  before  a  fair  wind  directly 
across  the  bay  towards  the  hut  of  The  Cripple.  She  was,  at  in- 
tervals, lost  to  view  behind  the  thickening  haze,  and  as"  often  re- 
appeared as  she  bent  under  the  fresh  north-east  breeze  and 
bounded  rapidly  with  the  waves  towards  the  lee  shore.  It  was 
after  the  hour  of  sunset  when  the  tenants  of  the  hut  were  just  able 
to  discern,  in  the  murky  gloom  of  the  near  nightfall,  that  she  had 
lowered  sail  and  swung  round  with  her  head  seaward,  at  an  an- 
chorage some  two  miles  out  in  the  bay. 

"  Quick,  Mistress  Kate,  and  kindle  some  brushwood  on  the 
shore,"  said  the  master  of  the  hut.  "  It  grows  dark,  and  the 
boat's  crew  will  need  a  signal  to  steer  by." 

The  woman  gathered  a  handful  of  fagots,  and,  kindling  them 
into  a  blaze,  transferred  them  to  the  beach  in  front  of  the  hut, 
where,  notwithstanding  the  rain,  they  burned  with  a  steady  light. 
This  illumination  had  not  subsided  before  the  stroke  of  oars  rose 
above  the  din  of  the  waves  ;  and  the  boat  with  her  crew,  sheeted 
with  the  broad  glare  of  the  signal  fire,  suddenly  appeared  mounted 
on  the  surf,  surrounded  with  foam  and  spray,  and  in  the  same  in 
stant  was  heard  grating  on  the  gravel  of  the  beach. 

Cocklescraft,  with  two  seamen,  entered  the  hut.  The  skipper 
was  now  in  the  prime  of  youthful  manhood  ;  tall,  active  and 
strong,  with  the  free  step  and  erect  bearing  that  no  less  denoted 


ROB     OP    THE     BOWL.  120 

the  fearlessness  of  nis  nature  than  pride  in  the  consciousness  of 
such  a  quality.  His  face,  tinged  with  a  deep  brown  hue,  was 
not  unhandsome,  although  an  expression  of  sensuality,  to  somt; 
extent,  deprived  it  of  its  claim  to  be  admired.  A  brilliant  eye 
suffered  the  same  disparagement  by  its  over-ready  defiance,  which 
told  of  a  temper  obtrusively  prone  to  quarrel.  The  whole  physi- 
ognomy wanted  gentleness,  although  a  fine  set  of  teeth,  a  regular 
profile,  and  a- complexion  which,  with  proper  allowance  for  expo- 
sure to  the  weather,  was  uncommonly  good,  would  unquestiona- 
bly have  won  from  the  majority  of  observers  the  repute  of  a  high 
degree  of  masculine  beauty. 

A  scarlet  jacket  fitted  close  across  the  breast,  wide  breeches 
of  ash-colored  xstuff,  hanging  in  the  fashiou  of  a  kirtle  or  kilt  to 
the  knees,  tight  gray  hose,  accurately  displaying  the  leg  in  all  its 
fine  proportions,  and  light  shoes,  furnished  a  costume  well  adapt- 
ed to  the  lithe  and  sinewy  figure  of  the  wearer.  A  jet  black  and 
glossy  moustache,  and  tuft  below  the  nether  lip,  gave  a  martial 
aspect  to  his  face,  which  had,  nevertheless,  the  smoothness  of  skin 
of  a  boy.  He  wore  in  his  embroidered  belt,  a  pair  of  pistols 
richly  mounted  with  chased  silver  and  costly  jewels,  and  his  per- 
son was  somewhat  gorgeously  and,  in  his  present  occupation,  in- 
appropriately ornamented  with  gems  and  chains  of  gold.  His  hair, 
in  almost  feminine  luxuriance,  descended  in  ringlets  upon  his  neck. 
A  large  hat  made  of  the  palm  leaf,  broad  enough  to  shade  his 
face  and  shoulders,  but  ill  assorted  with  the  rest  of  his  apparel, 
and  was  still  less  adapted  to  the  season  and  the  latitude  he  was 
in,  though  it  threw  into  the  general  expression  of  his  figure  that 
trait  of  the  swaggering  companion  which  was,  in  fact,  somewhat 
prominent  in  his  character. 

"  How  dost,  friend  Rob  ?"  was  his  salutation  in  crossing  the 
threshold  ;  "  how  dost,  Rob  o'  the  Bowl,  or  Rob  o'  the  Trench- 
er ? — bowl  or  trencher, — either   likes  me  ;    I  am  sworn   friend 
6* 


130  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL 

to  both,"  he  continued  as  he  stooped  and  took  The  Cripple's 
hand. 

"  Ay,  thy  conscience  has  never  stayed  thee,"  was  The  Crip- 
ple's reply,  as  he  received  the  skipper's  grasp,  "  when  thou  wouldst 
put  thy  hand  in  another  man's  bowl  or  trencher, — and  especially, 
Dickon,  if  they  were  made  of  gold.  Thou  hast  an  appetite  for 
such  dishes.     How  now  !  where  do  you  come  from  ?" 

"  That  shall  be  answered  variously,  friend  of  the  wooden  plat- 
ter.    If  you  speak  to  me  as  Meinherr  Yon  Cogglescraft,  I  am 
from  Antwerp,  master  of  the  Olive  Branch,  with  a  comfortable 
cargo  of  Hollands,  and  wines  French  and  Rhenish,  old   gray- 
beard,  and  some  solid  articles  of  Dutch  bulk.     But  if  it  be  to  the 
Caballero  Don  Ricardo, — le  beso  las  manos  ! — I  am  from  Tortuga 
and  the  Keys,  Senor  Capitan  del  Escalfador  (there  is  much  virtue 
in  a  painted  cloth)  with  a  choice  assortment  of  knicknackeries, 
which  shall  set  every  wench  in  the  province  agog.     I  have  rare 
velvets  of  Genoa,  piled  and  cut  in  the  choicest  fashions  :  I  have 
grograms,  and  stuffs,  and  sarsnets,  with  a  whole  inventory  of  woman 
trumpery — the  very  pick  of  a  Spanish  bark,  bound  from  Xaples 
to  the  islands,  which  was  so  foolish  as  to  read  my  flag  by  its 
seeming,  and  just  to  drop  into  the  Chafing-Dish  when  he  thought 
he  was  getting  a  convoy  to  help  him  out  of  the  way  of  the  toe 
pressing  and  inquisitive  courtesies  of  certain  lurking  friends  of  ours 
in  the  Keys.     I  have,  besides,  some  trinkets,  which  are  none  the 
worse  for  having  been  blessed  by  the  Church.     You  shall  have  a 
choice,  Bob,  to  deck  out  your  chamber  with  some  saintly  gems.'' 
"  Ha  !  I  guessed  thy  deviltry,  Dickon,"  said  Rob,   with  a 
laugh  which,  as  always  happened  when  much   moved,  brought 
tears  down  his  cheeks — "  I  guessed  it  when  I  saw  you  step  across 
the  door  sill  with  that  large  and  suspicious  sombrero  on  your 
head.     It  never  came  from  Holland — though  you  would  fain  per- 
suade the  province  folks  that  you  trade  no  where  else  :  it  is  of  the 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  131 

breed  of  the  tropics,  and  smells  of  Hispaniola  and  Santo  Do 
mingo." 

"It  is  a  tell-tale,"  replied  Cocklescraft,  "and  should  have 
been  thrown  overboard  before  this.  Old  Kate  of  Warrington, 
your  hand — and  here  is  a  hand  for  you  !  How  does  the  world 
use  you  ?  Fairly,  I  hope,  as  you  deserve  ?  You  shall  have  the 
sombrero,  Kate  :  you  can  truss  it  up  into  a  new  fashion  for  a 
bonnet,  and  I  have  store  of  ribands  to  give  you  to  set  it  off." 

"  My  share  of  this  world's  favor,"  said  the  crone,  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  skipper's  bounty,  "  has  never  been  more 
than  the  cast-off  bravery  of  such  as  hold  a  high  head  over  a 
wicked  heart.  I  have  ever  served  at  the  mess  of  the  devil's 
bantlings.  But,  as  the  custom  is,  I  must  be  civil  and  thankful 
for  these  blessings  ;  and  _so,  Master  Cocklescraft,  I  give  you 
thanks,"  she  added  with  a  courtesy,  as  she  placed  the  hat  upon 
her  head  and  strutted  fantastically  in  the  room,  "  for  your  dainty 
head-gear  that  you  are  unwilling  to  wear,  and  durst  not,  master, 
before  the  port  wardens  of  St.  Mary's." 

"How,  Kate  1"  exclaimed  the  skipper,  "  you  have  lost  no  whit 
of  that  railing  tongue  I  left  with  you  at  my  last  venture  ?  I 
marvel  that  the  devil  has  not  shorn  it,  out  of  pure  envy.  But  I 
know,  Kate,  you  can  do  justice  to  the  good  will  of  a  friend,  after 
all :  I  would  have  you  to  know  that  you  have  not  been  uncon- 
sidered, good  mother  of  a  thousand  devilkins :  I  have  brought 
you  stuff  for  a  new  gown,  rich  and  ladylike,  Kate,  and  becoming 
your  grave  and  matronly  years,  and  sundry  trickeries  for  it,  by 
way  of  garniture ;  and,  reverend  dam  of  night-monsters,  I  have 
in  store  for  you  some  most  choice  distillations  of  the  West  Indies, 
both  plain  and  spiced.  You  do  not  spurn  the  strong  waters, 
Kate  of  Warrington, — nor  the  giver  of  them  1" 

''  This  is  a  make-peace  fashion  of  yours,"  said  the  beldam,  re- 
laxing into  a  smile.     "  You  thought  not  of  the  woman  of  War- 


132  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

rington — no,  not  so  much  as  a  clog's  dream  of  her — until  it 
chanced  to  come  into  your  head  that  the  foolish  crone  had  a  will 
which  it  might  not  be  for  your  good  to  set  against  you.  I  knew 
your  incoming,  Richard  Cocklescraft,  before  it  was  thought  of  in 
the  province  ;  and  I  know  when  your  outgoing  will  be.  You 
come  with  a  surly  sky  and  a  gay  brow ; — you  shall  trip  it  hence 
with  a  bright  heaven  above  you,  and  deftly,  boy — but  with  a 
heavy  heart  and  a  new  crime  upon  your  soul." 

"  Peace,  woman  !  I  will  hear  none  of  your  croakings — it  is  an 
old  trick  ;  the  device  is  too  stale,"  said  Cocklescraft,  half  play- 
fully and  half  vexed.  You  are  no  conjuror,  Kate,  as  you  would 
make  the  world  believe  by  these  owl-hootings  :  if  you  had  but  a 
needle's-eyeful  of  the  true  witch  in  you,  you  would  have  foretold 
what  bounty  my  luck  has  brought  you. — Rob,  we  have  packages 
to  land  to-night.     Is  the  Chapel  ready  for  our  service  ?" 

"  How  should  it  be  other  than  ready  ?  Doth  not  the  devil 
keep  his  quarters  there?"  said  Rob,  with  a  low-toned  chuckle 
that  shook  his  figure  for  some  moments,  and  almost  closed  his 
eyes  ;  hath  he  not  his  court  in  the  Chapel  ?  Go  ask  the  whole 
country  side  :  they  will  swear  to  it  on  their  bible  oaths.  Sun- 
dries have  seen  the  hoofs  and  horns,  and  heard  the  bowlings, — 
ay,  and  smelt  the  brimstone — ha,  ha,  ha  !  They'll  swear  to  it. 
Is  the  Chapel  ready,  in  sooth  ?  It  is  a  precious  Chapel  !  Paul 
Kelpy,  thou  wert  an  honest  cut-throat,  to  bedevil  so  good  a 
house  :  we  turn  it  to  account — ha,  ha !  It  needs  but  to  take 
the  key,  Dickon.  I  warrant  you,  ne'er  a  man  in  the  province, 
burgher  or  planter,  gentle  or  simple,  ventures  near  enough  to 
molest  you." 

"The  surf  runs  high,"  said  Cocklescraft,  "and  may  give  us 
trouble  in  the  landing  to-night  ;  and  as  daylight  must  not  find  me 
in  this  latitude,  I  shall  put  what  I  may  ashore  before  the  dawn, 
and  then  take  a  flight  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay.     To-mor- 


BOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  133 

row  night  I  shall  finish  my  work  ;  and  you  shall  soon  after  hear, 
at  St.  Mary's,  that  the  good  and  peaceful  brigantine,  the  Olive 
Branch,  has  arrived  from  Holland.  Meantime,  I  will  leave  you 
a  half  dozen  men  to  garrison  the  Chapel,  Rob." 

"  It  is  so  well  garrisoned  with  my  merry  goblins  already," 
said  Rob,  "  that  it  requires  but  a  light  watch.  The  fires  alone 
would  frighten  his  Lordship's  whole  array  of  rangers.  That  was 
a  pretty  device  of  mine,  Dickon — blue,  green,  and  red — excellent 
devil-fires  all  !  Then  I  have  masks — faith,  most  special  masks  ! 
the  very  noses  of  them  would  frighten  the  short-winded  train- 
bands of  the  Port  into  catalepsy.  And  the  Chapel  had  an  ill 
name  when  the  fisherman  shed  blood  on  the  floor  :  but  since  we 
blackened  it,  Richard— oh,  that  was  a  subtle  thought  ! — it  is  past 
all  power  of  exorcism  :  there  is  an  ague  in  the  very  name  of  the 
Black  Chapel."  And  here  The  Cripple  gave  way  to  a  burst  of 
laughter,  which  had  been  struggling  for  vent  during  all  this  refer- 
ence to  the  arts  by  which  he  had  contrived  to  maintain  the  pop- 
ular dread  of  the  fisherman's  lodge. 

Whilst  this  conference  was  held,  the  crone  had  prepared  their 
evening  meal,  which  being  now  ready,  Rob  was  lifted  upon  a  low 
platform  that  brought  him  to  the  proper  level  with  the  table, 
where  he  was  able  to  help  himself.  Cocklescraft  partook  with 
him,  and  might  almost  have  envied  the  keen  gust  and  ravenous 
appetite  with  which  his  host  despatched  the  coarse  but  savory 
fare  of  the  board — for  The  Cripple's  power  of  stomach  seemed  to 
be  no  whit  impaired  by  age.  He  continued  to  talk,  during  his 
meal,  in  the  same  strain  which  we  have  described,  now  indulging 
a  peevish  self-communion,  now  bursting  forth  with  some  sarcastic 
objurgation  of  the  world,  and  again  breaking  a  jest  with  his  vis- 
itor. 

When  the  seamen,  under  the  ministration  of  the  aged  domes- 
tic, had  got  their  supper,  Cocklescraft  took  his  departure. 


134  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

'All  night  long  lights  were  gleaming  in  the  Chapel  ;  the  rain 
continued  in  a  steady  misty  drizzle,  and  not  a  star  was  seen  to 
tempt  a  wanderer  abroad.  The  morning,  which  broke  upon  an 
atmosphere  purged  of  its  vapors,  showed  no  trace  of  the  brig  in 
the  vicinity  of  St.  Jerome's.  Far  down  the  bay,  hugging  the 
eastern  shore,  might  have  been  discerned  what  a  practised  mari- 
ner would  affirm  to  be  a  sail  ;  but  whether  ship  or  brig — whether 
outward  or  homeward  bound,  might  not  be  told  without  the  aid 
of  a  2'lass. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Up  she  rose,  and  forth  she  goes, — 
I'll  mote  she  speed  therefor. 

Adam  Bell. 

Bell,  my  wife,  she  loves  not  strife, 

Tet  she  will  lead  me  if  she  can  ; 

And  oft,  to  live  a  quiet  life, 

I'm  forced  to  yield,  though  I'm  goodman. 

It's  not  for  a  man  a  woman  to  threape, 

Unless  he  first  give  o'er  his  plea; 

As  we  hegan  we  now  will  leave 

And  I'll  take  my  old  cloak  about  me. 

Old  Song. 


(t  was  nine  o'clock  of  the  morning  before  Dauntrees .  and  his 
companions,  Garret  and  Arnold,  rose  from  their  beds.  Pamesack, 
whose  taciturnity  was  not  greater  than  his  indifference  to  fatigue, 
had,  at  an  earlier  hour,  gone  his  way.  A  breakfast  was  provided 
in  the  Captain's  quarters,  and  the  three  heroes  of  the  past  night 
sat  "down  to  it  with  a  relish  which  showed  that,  however 
unfit  they  might  be  to  contend  against  spiritual  foes,  their 
talents  for  this  encounter  of  material  existences  were  highly 
respectable. 

"You  have  had  a  busy  time  of  it  in  dreams,  Master  Weasel," 
said  Dauntrees,  "  since  you  laid  yourself  down  on  your  truckle  bed 
this  morning.  You  have  been  re-acting  your  exploits  at  the 
Chapel.  I  heard  you  at  daylight  crying  aloud  for  sword  and 
dagger." 


136  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

"Ah,  Captain  Dauntrees,"  replied  the  publican,  "my  head 
has  been  full  of  fantasies  since  I  laid  me  down  to  rest- — for  I 
was  exceeding  weary — and  weariness  doth  set  the  brain  to  ramble 
in  sleep.  There  was  good  argument,  too,  in  our  deeds  at  St. 
Jerome's  for  a  world  of  dreaming." 

"Last  night  has  made  a  man  of  you,  my  gallant  vintner. 
You  should  bless  your  stars  that  you  fell  into  such  worthy 
company.  You  knew  not  heretofore — even  with  your  experience 
at  Worcester — what  elements  of  valor  it  pleased  Heaven  to 
mix  up  in  the  mould  whereof  you  were  made.  A  man  never 
sufficiently  values  himself  until  he  has  had  some  such  passage 
as  this." 

"  Ay,  and  look  you,  Captain  Dauntrees,"  said  Garret,  his  eye 
flashing  with  self-gratulation,  "  you  will  reflect  that  I  had  the 
brunt  of  it  alone,  whilst  you  three  were  banded  together  for 
common  defence  and  support.  There  I  was,  by  my  single  self, 
in  the  very  centre  of  them.  A  man  needs  more  comfort  and 
companionship  in  a  matter  with  witches  and  devils,  than  he  does 
against  your  sword  and  buckler  fellows.  Tut  !  I  wouldn't  have 
cared  a  fig  for  a  foe  that  could  be  struck  at  ;  but  these  pestilent 
things  of  the  dark — hags  on  besoms,  and  flying  bats  as  big  as  a 
man,  great  sword-fishes  walking  on  legs,  with  their  screechings, 
and  mopings,  and  mewings — how  it  tries  the  reins  of  a  solitary 
man  !  But  you  had  flashing,  and  firing,  and  charging,  Captain, 
which  is  more  in  the  way  of  what  one  expects  in  a  fight,  and  one 
is  prepared  for  :  it  has  life  in  it." 

"  That  is  most  true,  doughty  Garret.  A  culverin  is  but  the 
whiff  of  an  oaten  pipe,  compared  with  a  hag  upon  her  broomstick. 
You  were  ever  the  man  to  encounter  these  women.  It  needs 
your  mettle  to  face  them.  Now  there  is  your  wife,  Master 
Weasel — oh,  but  that  is  a  peril  in  store  for  you  !  You  shall  go 
to  her  and  have  it  over,  whilst  I  make  my  report  to  his  Lordship  ; 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

when  that  is  done  I  will  straight   for   the    Crow  at. 

to  help  you  in"  the  battle,  which  by  that  time  will  doubtle^ 

you  sore  at  need." 

"  I  must  go  to  his  Lordship  with  you,"  replied  Garret,  in 
a  lowered  key  ;  "I  must  have  my  hand  in  the  report ;  after  that 
we  will  set  out  together  for  the  inn." 

"  Why,  man  !"  exclaimed  Dauntrees,  with  affected  astonish- 
ment, "  would  you  tarry  to  do  your  duty  to  Mistress  Dorothy  ? 
Do  you  not  know  that  she  has  suffered  agony  of  mind  the 
live-long  night  in  your  behalf,  and  that  she  is  now  in  the  very 
tempest  of  her  affection  waiting  for  you  ?" 

"  I  know  it,  I  know  it,  worthy  Captain  ;  but  it  does  not 
become  my  respect  for  Lord  Charles's  service  to  defer  his  business 
for  mine  own." 

"  You  shall  not  budge  an  inch,"  said  Dauntrees,  "  on  any  other 
path  than  that  which  takes  you  quickly  to  your  loving  wife." 

"  Truly,  Captain,"  replied  Weasel,  in  a  dolorous  tone,  "  I 
would  have  you  go  with  me  ;  I  beseech  you  heartily,  allow  me 
to  bear  you  company  to  his  Lordship.  His  Lordship  will  think 
it  strange  I  did  not  come :  and  it  will  take  more  than  me  to 
pacify  the  dame." 

"  Well,  friend  Weasel,  in  consideration  that  you  contended 
single  handed  last  night  with  a  whole  score  of  devils,  and  bore 
yourself  gallantly  ;  and,  moreover,  as  it  is  such  heavy  odds  against 
you  in  this  matter  of  Dame  Dorothy — for,  of  a  verity,  I  know  she 
is  in  a  devil  of  a  passion  at  your  contumacy,  and  not  less  at  mine, 
I'll  be  sworn — why  we  will  make  a  muster  of  it  and  breathe  our 
defence  in  solid  column.  Arnold  will  go  with  us.  And  mark 
me,  vintner,  at  the  fitting  time  we  shall  regale." 

"On  the  best  in  cellar  or  larder  at  the  Crow  and  Archer," 
replied  Garret.  "  You  have  the  word  of  a  man  and  a  soldier 
for  it." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL,. 

vt  of  a  woman  and  no  soldier,  whose  word  would  go  fur- 
cO  that  bargain,  Garret,  than  yours.  Make  ready,  friends, 
,/e  must  move." 

Dauntrees  now  set  his  beaver  jauntily  over  his  brow,  and 
throwing  his  short  cloak  across  his  arm,  marched  through  the 
postern  of  the  fort,  followed  by  his  trusty  allies,  to  the  mansion 
of  the  Lord  Proprietor. 

Lord  Baltimore  received  them  in  his  library,  and  there  heard 
from  the  Captain  a  circumstantial  narrative  of  the  events  of  the 
preceding  night. 

"  It  is  a  strange  tale,"  he  said,  "  and  may  well  perplex  the  faith 
of  the  simple  rustics  of  the  province.  That  evil  spirits  preside 
over  that  blood-stained  house,  from  your  testimony,  Captain 
Dauntrees,  may  no  longer  be  denied.  Friends,  you  all  saw  these 
things  ?" 

"All,"  said  Garret  Weasel,  with  emphatic  solemnity,  as  he 
straitened  his  body  even  beyond  the  perpendicular  line.  "  Pame- 
sack  and  Arnold  stood  by  the  Captain  and  can  vouch  for  him.  I 
maintained  a  post  of  danger,  au  please  you  Lordship,  alone  ; 
what  I  saw  neither  the  Captain,  Arnold,  nor  Pamesack,  saw — it 
was  a  fearful  sight." 

"What  was  it?"  inquired  the  Proprietary,  with  some  ear- 
nestness. 

"A  woman,"  replied  Garret,  "  seemingly  a  woman,  an  your 
Lordship  comprehends  ;  but  in  truth  a  witch,  as  we  all  do  know: 
— Kate  of  Warrington,  of  whom  your  Lordship  has  heard.  She 
it  was  who  came  suddenly  down  upon  the  wold.  How  she  came," 
here  Garret  shook  his  head,  "  and  what  came  with  her, — it  was  a 
sight  to  look  upon  !" 

"  The  vintner  affirms  to  sundry  fantastic  shapes  of  imps  and 
spectres  in  company  with  tire  woman  of  Warrington,"  said  Daun- 
trees.    "  We  saw  nothing  of  the  hag,  having  left  Master  Weasel 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  139 

some  distance  in  onr  rear  when  we  visited  the  Chapel.  He  was 
cold,  and  required  comfort.  What  he  recounts,  my  Lord,  you 
have  his  own  avouch  for." 

"  And  what  say  you,  Arnold  ?"  inquired  his  Lordship,  smiling. 

"  These  ghosts  and  goblins  keep  a  hot  house,  and  the  less  we 
have  to  do  with  them  the  better,"  replied  the  forester,  gravely. 

"  They  fired  upon  you,  Captain  ?"  said  the  Proprietary  ; 
"with  what  weapons?" 

"  They  had  the  sharp  crack  of  the  musket  and  pistol,"  replied 
Dauntrees,  "  or  what  seemed  to  be  such  :  yet  I  would  not  swear 
that  I  saw  carnal  weapons  in  the  strife,  though  in  the  flash  I 
thought  I  noted  fire-arms.  This  may  tell  better  than  guess  of 
mine,  my  Lord,"  he  added,  as  he  held  up  his  cloak  and  pointed  to 
a  rent  in  one  of  its  folds  ;  "  this  hole  was  made  by  some  missive 
from  the  house  :  whether  it  be  a  bullet  mark  or  an  elf-shot,  I  will 
not  say." 

"  Body  o'  me  !"  exclaimed  Garret  Weasel,  as  the  Captain 
pointed  to  the  damage  he  had  sustained,  "  I  knew  not  this  before. 
There  was  hot  work,  I  warrant." 

"  Tiiere  is  knavery  in  alliance  with  this  sorcery,"  said  the  Pro- 
prietary, as  he  examined  the  cloak.  "  These  wicked  spirits  ever 
find  kindred  amongst  men.  They  have  profligate  companions  of 
flesh  to  profit  by  their  devilish  arts.  I  thank  you,  friends,  kindly, 
for  this  exploit,  and  will  turn  it  to  wholesome  account  hereafter. 
Fare  you  well." 

The  party  left  the  room,  and  now  shaping  their  course  towards 
the  Crow  and  Archer,  soon  descended  below  the  bank  and  took 
the  road  along  the  beach. 

Whilst  they  trudged  through  the  sand  and  gravel,  midway 
between  the  fort  and  the  town,  Dauntrees,  looking  behind,  saw  a 
figure  descending  on  horseback  from  the  main  gate  of  the  fort 
down  to  the  road  upon  which  they  now  travelled.     It  was  that 


llO  EOB'OF     THE     BOWL. 

of  a  woman,  whose  gestures,  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  were 
sufficiently  observable  to  show  that  she  urged  her  horse  forward 
with  impatient  earnestness.  As  soon  as  she  arrived  at  the  level 
of  the  beach,  her  speed  was  increased  nearly  to  the  utmost  of  the 
faculty  of  the  animal  which  bore  her,  and  she  now  came  flying  over 
the  sand,  with  her  garments  and  loose  tresses  floating  in  the 
wind. 

"  In  the  devil's  name,  what  have  we  here  ?"  exclaimed  Daun- 
trees.  "  As  I  live,  it  is  our  queen  of  the  hostel  !  Oh,  Garret, 
Garret,  here  is  a  volcano  !  Here  is  an  out-come  with  a  conclusion 
at  hand  !  Stand,  masters,  firmly  on  your  legs,  and  brace  up  for 
the  ouset  !" 

"Alack,  alack  !"  groaned  the  publican  ;  "the  woman  is  be- 
reft.    She  has  my  nag  from  the  fort." 

"  Ay,  and  rides  upon  your  saddle,  as  if  it  were  made  for  her," 
ejaculated  the  Captain.  "  Take  post  behind  me,  Garret  :  I  will 
answer  her  speech." 

"  It  were  no  more  than  the  luck  she  deserves,"  said  Garret, 
pettishly,  "if  she  should  fall  from  the  nag  and  break  her  little 
finger,  or  at  the  least  sprain  an  ankle  joint." 

"  Hold,  runagates  !  varlets  !  out  upon  you  for  a  filthy  Cap- 
tain !"  shouted  the  dame,  in  a  shrill  voice,  as  she  came  within  call 
of  the  party,  and  now  galloped  up  to  the  spot  at  which  they  had 
halted.  "  Give  me  that  idiot  from  your  beastly  company.  Gar- 
ret Weasel,  Garret  Weasel  !  you  have  been  the  death  of  me  !" 

"  Good  lack,  Mistress  Dorothy,  wife,  why  do  you  bear  your- 
self in  such  a  sort  as  this  ?" 

"  I  will  bare  you  to  the  buff,  driveller,  for  this.  Are  you  not 
steeped  in  wickedness  and  abomination  by  evil-consorting  with 
this  copper  Captain,  and  this  most  horrid  wood  ranger  ?  Have 
you  no  eye  for  your  family  ;  no  regard  for  good  name,  that  you 
must  be  strolling  o'  nights  with  every  pot-guzzler  and  foul-breathed 


ROB     OF     THE     BCWL.  14] 

and  cankered  cast-off  of  the  wars  ?  I  am  ashamed  of  you.  You 
have  been  in  your  cups,  I  warrant,  the  live-long  night." 

"  Dame,  I  must  speak,  now,"  said  Dauntrees. 

"Thou,  thou  I"  interrupted  the  hostess,. with  her  face  scarlet 
from  anger.  "  Never  in  a  Christian  land  should  such  as  you  be 
permitted  to  lift  your  head  before  honest  people.  His  Lordship 
would  do  but  justice  to  the  province  to  chain  you  up  in  a  dark 
stable,  as  a  bull  which  may  not  be  trusted  at  large.  Did  you 
not  beguile  me  last  night  with  a  base  lie  ?  Did  you  not  practise 
upon  me,  you  faithless,  false-hearted  coward?"  here  tears  fell 
from  the  flashing  eyes  of  the  voluble  landlady.  "  Did  you  not 
steal  that  lob,  my  husband,  from  me,  thief  ?" 

"Appearances,  dame,"  replied  the  Captain,  with  a  grave  com- 
posure, "  if  they  might  be  trusted,  were  certainly  to  my  disfavor 
last  night.  But,  then,  I  knew  that  when  this  matter  was  all  over, 
I  had  a  most  sufficient  and  excellent  reason,  which  a  considerate, 
virtuous,  and  tender-hearted  woman  like  yourself  would  fully 
approve,  when  she  came  to  hear  it.  There  was  matter  in  hand 
of  great  import  and  urgency ';  no  revelling,  dame — no  riot — but 
brave  service,  enjoined  by  his  Lordship,  and  which  it  was  his 
Lordship's  most  earnest  desire  should  be  committed  in  part  to 
your  husband.  It  was  an  action  of  pith  and  bravery  he  had  on 
hand  ;  and  his  Lordship  being  well  aware,  dame,  that  Garret's 
wife  was  a  woman  of  a  loving  heart,  and  gentle  withal  in  her 
nature,  and  not  fitted  to  endure  the  wringing  of  her  affection  by 
such  a  trial  as  the  adventure  imposed  upon  Garret,  he  charged 
me  to  make  some  light  pretext  for  withdrawing  your  husband 
from  your  eye,  which,  by  fraud,  I  confess,  I  did,  and  am  now — 
since  Garret  hath  worthily  achieved  his  most  perilous  duty — here 
to  avow  my  own  treachery.  There  is  promotion  and  great 
advantage  at  hand  for  this  which  will  set  up  your  head,  dame 
the  highest  amongst  them  that  wear  hoods." 


142  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"  We  have  barely  escaped  with  our  lives,  Mistress  Dorothy," 
said  Weasel,  in  a  whining  accent  of  deprecation  ;  "we  should  be 
made  much  of  and  praised  for  our  duty,  not  be  set  upon  with 
taunts  and  foul  rebukes  ;  and  when  you  know  all,  wife,  you  will 
be  sorry  for  this  wounding  of  our  good  name." 

"  This  is  but  another  trick,"  said  the  landlady. 

"  Nay,  good  Mistress,"  interrupted  the  Captain,  "  I  will 
agree  to  be  gibbeted  by  your  own  fair  hand,  if  I  do  not  satisfy 
you  that  in  this  adventure  we  are  deserving  of  all  applause.  The 
Lieutenant  at  the  fort,  doubtless,  told  you  that  we  were  absent 
last  night  on  special  duty  at  his  Lordship's  command  ?" 

"  The  varlet  did  feign  such  a  story,  when  I  thought  to  catch 
this  fool  in  your  company.  And  he  would  deny  me,  too,  the 
nag  ;  but  I  brought  such  coil  about  his  ears  that  he  was  glad  to 
give  me  the  beast  and  set  all  gates  open.  Where  do  you  say  you 
have  spent  the  night  ?" 

"  At  the  Black  Chapel,  mistress,"  said  Weasel,  with  a  most 
portentous  solemnity  of  speech  :  "  at  the  Black  Chapel,  by  his 
Lordship's  order  ;  and,  oh,  the  sights  we  have  seen  !  and  the 
time  we  have  had  of  it,  wife  !  it  would  make  your  blood  freeze 
to  hear  it." 

"  On  the  honor  of  a  soldier,  dame  !  by  the  faith  of  this  right 
hand  !"  said  Dauntrees,  as  he  offered  it  to  the  hostess  and  took 
hers,  "I  swear  this  is  true.  We- have  had  a  night  of  wonders, 
which  you  shall  hear  in  full  when  the  time  suits.  We  are  on  our 
way  now  to  the  Crow  and  Archer,  for  your  especial  gratifica- 
tion." 

"  Can  this  be  true,  Arnold  ?"  inquired  the  mollified  and  be- 
wildered landlady.     "I  will  believe  what  you  say." 

"  You  may  trust  in  every  word  of  it,  as  I  am  a  Christian  man. 
There  be  marvellous  doings  at  the  Black  Chapel.  We  have  seen 
spirits  and  devils  in  company." 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  148 

"  It  is  graver  matter,  wife,  than  you  wot  of,"  said  Weasel. 

"Ride  forward,  dame,"  added  Dauntrees  ;  "yon  shall  see  us 
soon  at  the  hostel.  And  I  promise  you  shall  have  the  story, 
too,  of  the  Mercer's  Wife  from  beginning  to  end  :  you  shall, 
dame." 

"  You  are  a  wheedling,  cogging  cheat,  Captain  ;  thy  roguery 
will  have  a  melancholy  end  yet,"  replied  the  dame,  as  she  now 
rode  forward  with  a  sunshiny  smile  playing  upon  features  which 
but  a  few  moments  before  were  dark  with  storm. 

When  they  reached  the  Crow  and  Archer  they  found  a  group 
of  traders  assembled  on  the  quay,  gazing  with  a  busy  speculation 
towards  the  mouth  of  the  river.  By  degrees  the  crowd  increased, 
and  the  rumor  soon  spread  about  that  the  Olive  Branch  was  in 
sight.  A  vessel  was,  indeed,  discernible  across  the  long  flat  of 
St.  Inigoe's,  just  entering  the  river,  and  those  who  professed  a 
knowledge  of  nautical  affairs  had  no  scruple  in  announcing  her 
as  the  brigantine  of  Cocklescraft.  She  was  apparently  an  active 
craft,  belonging  to  the  smaller  class  of  sea-vessels,  and  manifestly 
a  faster  sailer  than  was  ordinarily  to  be  seen  at  that  period.  A 
fair  and  fresh  breeze  impelled  her  steadily  towards  her  haven, 
and  as  she  bounded  over  the  glittering  waters,  the  good  folks  of 
the  little  city  were  seen  clustering  in  knots  on  every  prominent 
cliff  along  the  high  bank,  and  counting  the  minutes  which  brought 
this  messenger  from  the  old  world  nearer  to  their  salutation. 

Meantime  the  Olive  Branch  began  to  show  the  sparkling 
foam  which  broke  upon  her  bow  :  then  to  give  forth  voices  from 
her  deck,  audible  to  the  crowd  ;  presently  to  lower  sail  ;  and  at 
last,  being  stripped  to  her  bare  poles  and  naked  rigging,  she 
glided  with  lessening  speed,  slower  and  slower,  until  her  ex- 
tended cable  showed  that  her  anchor  was  dropped  and  her  voy- 
age at  an  end. 

It  was  past  noon  when  the  brig  came  to  her  mooring,  opposite 


144  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

the  Town  House  wharf,  and  after  a  brief  interval,  Cocklescraft, 
arrayed  as  we  have  before  seen  him,  except  that  he  had  changed 
his  sombrero  for  a  tasseled  cap  of  cloth,  landed  on  the  quay,  and 
soon  became  the  lion  of  the  Crow  and  Archer. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Every  white  will  have  its  black, 
And  every  sweet  its  sour. 

Old  Ballad. 


The  birth-day  festival  at  the  Rose  Croft  might  be  said  appro- 
priately to  belong  to  the  eminent  dominion  of  the  Lady  Maria. 
It  therefore  lacked  nothing  of  her  zealous  supervision.  With  the 
aid  of  Father  Pierre  and  some  female  auxiliaries  she  had  per- 
suaded the  Collector— a  task  of  no  great  difficulty — to  sanction 
the  proceeding,  and  she  was  now  intent  upon  the  due  ordering 
and  setting  out  of  the  preparations.  The  day  was  still  a  week 
off  when,  early  after  breakfast,  on  a  pleasant  morning  the 
business-fraught  lady  was  seen  in  the  hall,  arrayed  in  riding  hood 
and  mantle,  ready  to  mount  a  quiet  black-and-white  pony  that,  in 
the  charge  of  a  groom,  awaited  her  pleasure  at  the  door.  Natta, 
the  little  Indian  girl,  stood  by  entrusted  with  the  care  of  a  work- 
bag  or  wallet  apparently  well  stuffed  with  the  materials  for 
future  occupation — the  parcel-fragments  which  thrifty  housewives 
and  idleness-hating  dames,  down  to  this  day,  are  accustomed  to 
carry  with  them,  for  the  sake  of  the  appearance,  at  least,  of 
industry.  Just  at  this  moment  the  Proprietary  came  into  the 
hall,  and  seeing  that  his  worthy  sister  was  bound  on  some 
enterprise  of  more  than  usual  earnestness,  he  added  to  his 
customary  morning  salutation  a  playful  inquiry  into  the  purport 
of  her  excursion. 
1 


146 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 


"  Ah,  Charles,"  she  replied,  "  there  are  doings  in  the  province 
which  are  above  the  rule  of  your  burgesses  and  councils.  I  hold 
a  convocation  at  the  Rose  Croft  to-day,  touching  matters  more 
earnest  than  your  state  affairs.  We  have  a  merry-making  in 
the  wind,  and  I  am  looked  to  both  for  countenance  and  advice. 
It  is  my  prerogative,  brother,  to  be  mistress  of  all  revels." 

"  God  bless  thine  age,  Maria  !"  was  the  affectionate  reply  of 
the  Proprietary — "it  wears  a  pleasant  verdure  and  betokens  a 
life  of  innocent  thoughts  and  kind  actions.  May  the  saints  bear 
thee  gently  onward  to  thy  rest  !  Come,  I  will  serve  as  your 
cavalier,. and  help  you  to  your  horse,  sister. — See  now,  my  arm 
has  pith  in  it.  Hither,  Natta — there  is  the  wench  on  the  pillion 
— who  could  serve  thee  with  a  better  grace  than  that  ?" 

"  Thanks — thanks,  good  brother  !"  ejaculated  the  lady  as 
the  Proprietary  lifted  her  to  her  seat,  and  then  swung  the  Indian 
girl  upon  the  pillion  behind  her.  "  Your  arm  is  a  valiant  arm, 
and  is  blessed  by  more  than  one  in  this  province.  It  has  ever 
been  stretched  forth  in  acts  of  charity  and  protection." 

"  Nay,  Maria,  you  are  too  old  to  .flatter.  Fie  !  I  have  no 
advancement  to  offer  you.  In  truth  you  are  sovereign  here — 
though  you  go  through  your  realm  with  but  scant  attendance  for 
one  so  magnified.  Why  is  not  Albert  in  your  train  ?  I  may 
well  spare  him — as  he  has  a  liking  for  such  service." 

"  Brother,  I  would  not  tax  the  Secretary.  He  has  a  free  foot 
for  his  own  pleasure  ;  and,  methinks,  he  finds  his  way  to  the  Rose 
Croft  easily  enough  without  my  teaching.  It  is  an  ancient  caution 
of  mine  in  such  affairs,  neither  to  mar  nor  make." 

"  Heaven  help  thee  for  a  considerate  spinster  !"  said  the 
Proprietary  with  a  benignant  smile  as  he  raised  his  hands  and 
shook  them  sportively  towards  his  sister.  "  Go  your  ways  with 
your  whimsies  and  your  scruples  ; — and  a  blessing  on  them  !  I 
wish  yours  were  our  only  cares  : — but  go  your  ways,  girl  1"  he 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  141 

added,  as  the  lady  set  forth  on  her  journey,  and  he  withdrew 
from  the  door. 

At  the  Rose  Croft,  the  approaching  merry-making  had  super- 
seded all  other  family  topics,  both  in  parlor  and  kitchen.  The 
larder  was  already  beginning  to  exhibit  the  plentiful  accumula- 
tions which,  in  a  place  of  strength,  might  portend  a  siege  :  the 
stable  boys  were  ever  on  the  alert,  with  their  cavalry,  to  do 
rapid  errands  to  the  town,  and  Michael  Mossbank,  the  gardener, 
was  seen  in  frequent  and  earnest  consultation  with  John  Pouch, 
a  rivei'-side  cotter,  touching  supplies  of  fish  and  wild  fowl. 

"Whilst  the  elder  sister  Alice  despatched  the  graver  duties  of 
the  housekeeping,  she  had  consigned  to  Blanche  the  not  less 
important  care  of  summoning  the  guests,  and  the  maiden  was 
now  seated  at  the  table  with  pen  in  hand  registering  the  names 
of  those  who  had  been,  or  were  to  be,  invited  to  the  feast, — or,  in 
other  words,  making  a  census  of  pretty  nearly  the  whole  titheable 
population  of  St.  Mary's  and  its  dependencies. 

"  A  plague  upon  it  for  a  weary  labor  ['■'  she  exclaimed  as  she 
threw  down  the  pen  and  rested  her  chin  upon  the  palm  of  her  hand. 
"  I  know  I  shall  forget  somebody  I  ought  not  to  forget — and 
shall  be  well  rated  for  it.  And  then  again  I  shall  be  chid  for 
being  too  free  with  my  fellowship. — What  a  world  of  names  is 
nere  !  I  did  not  think  the  whole  province  had  so  many.  There 
is  Winnefred  Hay,  the  viewer's  sister, — they  have  tales  about 
ner  which,  if  they  be  true,  it  is  not  fit  she  should  be  a  crony  of 
mine — and  yet  I  don't  believe  them,  though  many  do. — Truly  the 
viewer  will  be  in  a  grand  passion  if  I  slight  her  !  Sister  Alice, 
give  me  your  advice." 

"  Bid  her  to  the  feast,  Blanche.  We  should  be  slow  to  believe 
tnese  rumors  to  the  injury  of  a  neighbor.  Winnefred  Hay  is  not 
over  discreet — and  gives  more  semblance  to  an  evil  opinion  than, 
in  truth,   her  faults  deserve  :    but  the  townspeople  are  scarce 


148  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL 

better  in  this  quickness  to  censure— especially  such  as  look  tc 
the  tobacco  viewing.  Lawrence  Hay's  place  has  something  to  dc 
with  that  scandal." 

"  I  am  glad,  sister  Alice,  you  give  me  an  argument  to  indulge 
my  own  secret  wish,"  replied  Blanche  ;  "  for  I  like  not  to  believe 
harsh  reports  against  any  of  our  province.  And  so,  that  is  at  an 
end.  Alack  ! — here  is  another  matter  for  counsel :  Grace  Black- 
.iston  says  Helen  Clements  is  too  young  to  be  at  my  gathering  : — 
she  has  two  years  before  her  yet  at  school,  and  has  only  begun 
embroidering.  Oh,  but  I  would  as  soon  do  a  barefoot  penance 
for  a  month  as  disappoint  her  ! — she  is  the  wildest  of  all  for  a 
dance,  and  looks  for  it,  I  know, — though  she  says  never  a  word, 
and  has  her  eyes  on  the  ground  when  we  talk  about  it. — Ha,  let 
Grace  Blackiston  prate  as  she  will,  Helen  shall  be  here  !  Fairly, 
my  gossip, — I  will  be  mistress  in  my  own  house,  I  promise  you  !" 

"  There  is  room  for  all  your  friends,  young  and  old,"  said 
Alice  ;  "  and  you  should  not  stint  to  ask  them  for  the  difference 
of  a  span  or  so  in  height.  You  are  not  quite  a  woman  yourself, 
Blanche, — no,  nor  Grace  neither, — although  you  perk  yourselves 
up  so  daintily." 

"  Would  you  have  the  gauger's  wife,  sister  ?"  inquired  Blanche, 
with  a  face  of  renewed  perplexity.  "  I  think  my  dear  Lady  Maria 
would  be  pleased  if  I  bid  the  dame — for  the  srauger  is  a  good 
friend  of  his  Lordship — hot-headed,  they  say,  but  that  does  not 
make  him  the  worse — and  his  dame  takes  it  kird'y  to  be  noticed." 

"Even  as  you  will,  Blanche, — it  is  a  mark  of  gentle  nurture 
not  to  be  too  scrupulous  with  your  questions  of  quality — a  kind 
neighbor  will  never  disgrace  your  courtesy.  Bet  one  thing,  child, 
your  father  will  look  to  :--see  that  you  avoid  these  Coodes  and 
Fendalls  and  even  the  Chiseldines.  There  is  a  feud  between  them 
and  the  Proprietary, — and  my  Lord's  friends  are  warm  in  the 
matter, — your  father  amongst  the  rest." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  149 

"  I  protest  they  get  no  bid  from  me,"  saM  Blanche,  as  the 
color  mantled  her  cheek.  "  I  hate  them  stock  and  branch — yes, 
as  my  good  lady  hates  them." 

Blanche  had  scarcely  uttered  these  words  before  the  good 
lady  herself  rode  past  the  window.  The  maiden  bounded  forth 
to  receive  her,  and  Alice  with  less  precipitation  followed. 

"  I  come  with  pony  and  pillion,"  said  the  visitor  as  she  was 
assisted  to  the  ground,  and  bustled  into  the  parlor.  "I  could 
not  rest  until  I  saw  Blanche  to  know  if  all  her  biddings  were 
abroad.  My  pretty  bird,  pray  look  you  to  your  task — you  have 
no  time  to  lose  :  there  are  the  families  beyond  Patuxent — and 
our  friends  across  the  bay, — besides  many  at  home  that  I  know 
have  not  heard  from  you  yet.  And  here,  sweet,  I  have  brought 
you  some  trinketry  which  you  shall  wear  at  the  feast :  a  part  is 
for  Grace  Blackiston,  and  a  part  for  you.  You  shall  have  the 
choice,  Blanche  : — but  whisht  !  not  a  word  of  it  to  Grace, 
because  I  think  she  has  a  conceit  to  be  jealous  of  your  favor." 

Whilst  the  two  sisters  welcomed  the  lady  and  responded  to 
her  voluble  communications  in  a  tone  of  affectionate  intimacy, 
the  contents  of  the  work-bag  were  thrown  open  to  view,  and  suc- 
cessively gave  rise  to  sundry  discussions  relating  not  only  to  the 
objects  presented,  but  also  collaterally  to  the  thousand  matters 
of  detail  connected  with  the  festival,  thus  engrossing  the  first 
hour  of  their  interview,  until  the  subject  was  changed  by  an 
exclamation  from  Blanche,  as  she  looked  through  the  window 
upon  the  river — 

"  Oh,  but  here  is  a  gallant  sight ! — see  yonder  hawk  following 
a  heron.  He  will  strike  presently — the  heron  cannot  get  away. 
Poor  bird  !  how  he  doubles  and  drops  in  his  flight  to  escape  the 
swift  hawk  ; — but  it  is  of  no  avail.  I  should  almost  say  it  was 
sinful, — if  it  was  not  approved  and  followed  by  those  I  love  best 
■ — I  should  hold  it  sinful  to  frighten  and  torture  a  harmless  heron 


150  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

by  such  pursuit.     There,  the  hawk  has  struck,  and  clown  comes 
hawk  and  quarry  to  the  water." 

"  It  is  his  Lordship's  hawk,"  said  the  Lady  Maria,  as  she 
looked  out  upon  the  river.  "  Derrick  the  falconer  must  be 
abroad  to-day  with  his  birds  : — and  now  whilst  I  speak,  there 
he  is  walking  along  the  beach.  And  he  is  not  alone  neither  : — 
by  that  short  mantle  and  that  feather,  Blanche,  you  may  know  a 
friend." 

The  color  rose  on  the  maiden's  cheek  as  she  said,  "  It  is 
Albert,  his  Lordship's  secretary." 

"His  eyes  are  turned  this  way,"  said  the  sister  of  the  Pro- 
prietary. "  A  wager  he  comes  to  the  house  in  the  next  ten 
minutes  ! — He  would  fain  find  some  business  with  the  Collector 
— I  know  Master  Albert's  occasions  :  nay,  do  not  flurry  thyself, 
my  sweet  Blanche." 

"  I  wish  the  Secretary  would  come,"  returned  the  maiden  ; 
"  we  have  need  of  him  ;  he  promised  to  show  me  how  it  were 
best  to  arrange  my  flower  vases." 

"Then  you  would  do  well  to  despatch  a  messenger  to  him," 
interrupted  the  Lady  Maria,  playfully  ;  "  do  you  not  think  he 
might  forget  ?" 

"Oh  no,  my  dear  lady,"  replied  Blanche,  "Master  Albert 
never  forgets  a  promise  to  me." 

"  Indeed  !  Well,  I  should  have  thought  that  having  occasion 
to  make  you  so  many  promises — for  he  is  here  at  the  Rose  Croft 
thrice  a  week  at  least — and  every  visit  has  its  promise,  or  I  mis- 
take— he  would  forget  full  one  half." 

"I  deal  but  scantily  in  promises  with  the  Secretary,"  replied 
Blanche.     "  Master  Albert's  errands  here  are  for  pastime  mostly." 

"  Ah,  he  does  not  forget,"  exclaimed  the  Lady  Maria  ;  "  for 
there  I  see  the  feather  of  his  bonnet  as  he  climbs  up  the  bank, — 
and  now  we  have  his  head  and  shoulders  ;  we  shall  get  the  whole 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  151 

man  anon,— -and  Master  Benedict  Leonard  in  the  bargain,  for  I 
see  him  trudging  in  the  Secretary's  footsteps,  as  lie  is  wont  to  do; 
his  young  Lordship  has  become  the  Secretary's  shadow.  And 
there  is  Derrick  behind.     They  are  all  bound  for  this  haven." 

As  the  lady  spoke,  the  Secretary  was  seen  from  the  window 
with  the  heir  apparent  and  the  falconer  on  the  verge  of  the  bank 
which  they  had  just  ascended.  Benedict  Leonard  had  a  hooded 
hawk  upon  his  fist ;  and  Derrick,  waving  a  light  rod  to  which  a 
small  streamer  or  flag  was  attached,  was  busy  in  luring  down  the 
bird  that  had  just  flown  at  the  heron.  Whilst  the  falconer  con- 
tinued his  occupation  the  Secretary  and  his  young  companion 
entered  the  mansion. 

Albert  Verheyden's  accost  to  the  ladies  was  characterized  by 
a  familiarity  not  unmixed  with  diffidence,  and  a  momentary  flush 
passed  across  his  cheek  as,  after  saluting  Mistress  Alice,  and  turn- 
ing to  Blanche,  his  eye  fell  upon  the  sister  of  the  Proprietary.  "  I 
did  not  expect  to  find  my  honored  lady  so  early  at  the  Rose 
Croft,"  he  said  with  a  profound  reverence.  "  It  should  have 
been  my  duty,  madam,  to  attend  you,  but  I  knew  not  of  your 
purpose;  and  the  falconer  being  bent  to  fly  the  cast  of  lanerets 
which  Colonel  Talbot  lately  sent  to  my  Lord,  would  have  me 
witness  the  trial,  and  so  I  came  with  Master  Benedict  to  see 
this  sport." 

"  Nay,  Albert,"  replied  the  lady,  "you  should  not  have  been 
of  my  company  even  if  you  had  sought  permission.  I  come  to- 
day on  no  idle  errand  which  might  allow  your  loitering  paces  and 
customary  delays  to  gaze  on  headlands  and  meadows,  whereby 
you  are  wont  to  interrupt  the  course  of  your  journey.  The  mat- 
ter of  our  present  meeting  has  need  of  stirring  feet,  which  go 
direct  to  their  work, — yours  are  not  such.  Still,  Master  Albert, 
you  shall  not  be  useless  to-day  : — here  is  occupation  to  your 
hand  ;  Blanche  is  in  much  want  of  a. penman,  and  as  you  are  of 


152  ROB     01     THE     BOWL. 

the  writing  craft,  she  would  gladly  enlist  you  in  her  service — that 
is,  if  you  have  not  been  already  marshalled  and  sworn  under  her 
colors." 

"  Master  Albert,  our  dear  lady  does  but  jest,"  said  Blanche. 
"  She  knows  I  had  at  first  no  need  of  better  penman  than  my- 
self, and  now  have  need  of  none, — for,  in  truth,  my  work  was  fin- 
ished ere  she  came.  But  your  service  I  may  command  in  a  better 
task.  You  did  promise  to  bring  me  some  device  for  my  flower 
stands." 

"The joiner  will  have  them  here  to-day,"  replied  the  Secre- 
tary. "  I  have  not  failed  to  spur  his  industry  as  well  as  my  own 
invention  to  do  your  wish." 

"Then  all  is  done  but  the  rendering  of  thanks,"  said  Blanche, 
"  which  yet  I  am  not  in  the  humor  to  do,  having  matter  of  quar- 
rel with  you  for  that  following  of  the  poor  heron  which,  but  now, 
we  saw  the  hawk  strike  down,  whilst  you  were  a  looker-on,  and, 
as  we  suspect,  an  encourager  of  the  act.  It  was  a  cruel  thing  to 
assail  the  innocent  fowl,  which,  being  native  here,  has  ever  found 
friends  in  our  house  ;— yes,  and  has  daily  fed  upon  the  flat  below 
the  garden.  These  herons  scarce  fly  when  I  walk  by  them  on  the 
beach.  I  wish  the  falconer  had  sought  his  quarry  elsewhere  than 
amongst  my  harmless  birds.     You  should  have  controlled  him." 

"I  am  deeply  grieved,"  replied  the  Secretary.  "Indeed,  I 
knew  not  of  the  bird  nor  whence  he  came  :  nor  thought  of  it, 
in  truth.  A  feather  of  his  wing  should  not  have  come  to  harm 
had  I  been  aware  that  he  had  ever  pleased  your  eye.  I  am  ill 
unskilled  in  these  out-door  sports,  and  haVe  scarce  worn  out  the 
complexion  of  my  school  at  Antwerp,  where  worldly  pastimes  were 
a  forbidden  thought.  A  poor  scholar  of  the  cloister  might  go  free 
of  blame  if,  in  this  sunny  and  gallant  world,  the  transport  of  a 
noble  game  should  rob  him  of  his  circumspection.  I  thought  of 
naught  but  the  glorious  circling  of  the  hawk  aud  his  swift  and 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  153 

imperious  assault.  I  crave  your  pardon  for  my  inconsiderate 
error." 

"  You  speak  more  like  a  practised  cavalier  than  a  scholar  of 
the  cloister,"  said  the  sister  of  the  Proprietary  ;  "  you  have  a  cava- 
lier's love  of  the  sport,  Albert." 

"  It  does  not  beseem  me,  madam,"  was  the  Secretary's  reply 
"  to  affect  a  pastime  which  belongs  neither  to  my  rank  nor  hum- 
ble means  ;  but,  in  truth,  dear  lady,  I  do  love  hawk,  and  hound, 
and  steed.  And  when  in  my  sequestered  study — where,  being 
as  I  thought,  destined  to  the  service  of  the  altar,  I  read  mostly 
of  holy  men  and  holy  things,  little  dreaming  that  I  should  ever 
see  the  world — it  sometimes  chanced,  in  my  stray  reading,  I  fell 
upon  a  lay  wherein  deeds  of  chivalry  were  told  ;  and  then  I  was 
conscious  of  a  wish,  I  am  now  almost  ashamed  to  confess,  that 
fortune  might  some  day  bring  me  better  acquainted  with  that 
world  to  which  such  deeds  belonged.     Oh  !  it  has  befallen  now  : 

■ that  is, — I  mean  to  say,"  continued  the  Secretary,  checking 

himself,  as  his  flashing  eye  fell  to  the  floor  and  a  blush  flitted 
across  his  brow — "  it  has  pleased  Heaven  to  give  me  a  kind  mas- 
ter in  my  good  Lord,  who  does  not  deny  me  to  look  on  when 
these  sports  are  afield." 

"  And  if  we  did  strike  down  the  heron,  Blanche  Warden," 
said  Benedict  Leonard,  saucily  accosting  the  maiden,  and  showing 
the  hawk  that  was  bound  to  his  wrist — "  what  is  a  heron  good 
for  but  to  be  brought  down  ?  Herons  were  made  for  hawks — 
yes,  and  for  the  hawks  of  the  Proprietary  above  all  others  ;  for  I 
have  heard  say  that  every  heron  on  the  Chesapeake,  within  my 
father's  boundary,  is  his  own  bird  :  so  Derrick  has  said  a  hundred 
times.  And  there  is  my  uncle  Talbot,  who  flies  a  hawk  better 
than  any  other  in  the  province — I  don't  care  if  Derrick  hears  me — ■ 
and  has  the  best  mews, — he  says  that  these  fire-arms  have  broken 
up  hawking  in  the  old  country  ;  and  he  told  me  I  must  not  let  it 
7* 


154  BOB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

fall  .  throusli  when  I  come  to  the  province  :  for  my  father,  he 
thinks,  doesn't  care  much  for  it.  I  promise  you  in  my  time  we 
shall  have  hawking  enough — chicle  as  you  like,  Mistress  Blanche. 
It  was  partly  for  me  that  my  uncle  Talbot  sent  us  this  cast  of 
birds.  Look  at  that  laneret,  Blanche, — look  at  her  !  Isn't  that 
a  bird  ?     Talk  to  me  of  a  goshawk  after  that  !" 

"  Benedict — nephew,"  interposed  the  Lady  Maria,  "  why  dost 
thou  fling  thy  bird  so  rudely  ?  She  brushes  Blanche's  cheek  with 
her  wing.  Pray,  not  so  bold :  Blanche  will  not  like  thee  for 
it."  f 

"  Blanche  will  never  quarrel  with  me  for  loving  my  hawk 
.aunt,"  replied  the  boy  playfully.  "Will  you,  mistress?  A 
laneret's  wing  and  Blanche  Warden's  cheek  are  both  accounted 
beautiful  in  this  province,  and  will  not  grow  angry  with  each 
other  upon  acquaintance." 

"  I  know  not  that,  Benedict,"  replied  the  maiden  ;  "  my  cheek 
may  grow  jealous  of  your  praise  of  the  wing,  and  mischief  might 
follow.     She  is  bat  a  savage  bird,  and  has  a  vicious  appetite." 

''  I  will  away  to  the  falconer,"  said  the  boy.  "  It  is  but 
wasting  good  things  to  talk  with  women  about  hawks.  You 
will  find  me,  Master  Albert,  along  the  bank  with  Derrick,  if  you 
have  need  of  me." 

"That  boy  has  more  of  the  Talbot  in  him  than  the  Calvert," 
said  the  Lady  Maria,  after  he  had  left  the  room.  "  His  father 
was  ever  grave  from  youth  upwards,  and  cared  but  little  for  these 
exercises.  Benedict  Leonard  lives  in  the  open  air,  and  has  a 
light  heart. — You  have  a  book  under  your  mantle,  Master 
Albert,"  continued  the  lady.  "  Is  your  breviary  needful  when 
you  go  forth  to  practise  a  laneret  ?" 

"  It  is  a  volume  I  have  brought  for  Mistress  Blanche,"  replied 
the  Secretary,  as,  with  some  evident  confusion,  lie  uroduced  a 
gilded  quarto  with  clasps,  from    beneath  his  dress.     "  It  is  9 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  155 

delightful  history  of  a  brave  cavalier,  that  I  thought  would 
please  her." 

"  Ah  !"  exclaimed  the  sister  of  the  Proprietary,  taking  the 
book  and  reading  the  title-page — "  '  La  Ires  joyeuse  et  plaisante 
Histoire,  composee  par  le  Loyal  Serviteur,  des  fails,  gestes  et  prow- 
esses du  ban  Chevalier  sans  peur  et  sans  reproche.'  Ay,  and  a 
right  pleasant  history  it  is,  this  of  the  good  Knight  Bayard, 
without  fear  and  without  reproach.  But,  Albert,  you  know 
Blanche  does  not  read  French." 

"  I  designed  to  render  it  myself  to  Mistress  Blanche,  in  her 
native  tongue,"  replied  the  Secretary. 

"  Blanche,"  said  the  lady,  shaking  her  head,  "  this  comes  of 
not  taking  my  counsel  to  learn  this  language  of  chivalry  long  ago. 
See  what  peril  you  will  suffer  now  in  journeying  through  this  huge 
book  alone  with  Master  Albert." 

"I  see  no  peril,"  replied  the  maiden,  unconscious  of  the  rail- 
lery. "  Master  Albert  will  teach  me,  ere  he  be  done,  to  read 
French  for  myself." 

"  When  you  have  such  a  master,  and  the  Secretary  such  a 
pupil,"  said  the  lady,  smiling,  "  Heaven  speed  us  !  I  will  eat  all 
the  French  you  learn  in  a  month.  But,  Master  Albert,  if  Blanche 
can  not  understand  your  legend,  in  the  tongue  in  which  it  is  writ, 
she  can  fully  comprehend  your  music — and  so  can  we.  It  is 
parcel  of  your  duty  at  the  Rose  Croft  to  do  minstrel's  service. 
You  have  so  many  songs — and  I  saw  you  stealing  a  glance  at 
yon  lute,  as  if  you  would  greet  an  old  acquaintance." 

"  If  it  were  not  for  Master  Albert,"  said  Alice,  "  Blanche's 
lute  would  be  unstrung.  She  scarce  keeps  it,  one  would  think, 
but  for  the  Secretary's  occupation." 

"  Ah,  sister  Alice,  and  my  dear  lady,"  said  Blanche,  "  the 
Secretary  has  such  a  touch  of  the  lute,  that  I  but  shame  my  own 
ears  to  play  upon  it,  after  hearing  his  ditties.     Sing,  Master 


156  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

Albert,  I  pray  you,"  she  added,  as  she  presented  him  the  in 
strument. 

"  I  will  sing  to  the  best  of  my  skill,"  replied  Albert,  "  which 
has  been  magnified  beyond  my  deservings.  With  your  leave,  I 
will  try  a  canzonet  I  learned  in  London.  It  was  much  liked  by 
the  gallants  there,  and  I  confess  a  favor  for  it  because  it  has  a 
stirring  relish.     It  runs  thus  : 

'  Tell  me  not,  sweet,  I  am  unkind, 
That  from  the  nunnery 
Of  thy  chaste  breast  and  quiet  mind 
To  war  and  arms  I  fly. 

'True,  a  new  mistress,  now  I  chase, 

The  first  foe  in  the  field; 
And  with  a  stronger  faith  embrace 
A  sword,  a  horse,  a  shield. 

'  Tet  this  inconstancy  is  such 
As  you  too  shall  adore : 
I  could  not  love  thee,  dear,  so  much, 
Loved  I  not  honor  more.1 " 

"  Well  clone  !  Well  touched  lute — well  trolled  ditty  !  Brave 
song  for  a  bird  of  thy  feather,  Master  Yerheyden  !"  exclaimed  the 
Collector,  who,  when  the  song  was  finished,  entered  the  room  with 

Cocklescraft.     "  That's  as  good  a  song,  Master  Cocklescraft 

the  skipper,  ladies — my  friend  of  the  Olive  Branch,  who  has  been 
with  me  this  hour  past  docketing  his  cargo  :  I  may  call  him 
especially  your  friend — he  is  no  enemy  to  the  vanities  of  this 
world.  Ha,  Master  Cocklescraft,  you  have  wherewith  to  win  a 
world  of  grace  with  the  petticoats  ! — you  have  an  eye  for  the 
trickery  of  the  sex  !  Sit  down,  sir — I  pray  you,  without  further 
reverence,  sit  down." 

The  skipper,  during  this  introduction,  stood  near  the  door, 
bowing  to  the  company,  and  then  advanced  into  the  room  with  a 
careless  and  somewhat  overbold  step,  such  as  denotes  a  man  who, 
in  tho  endeavor  to  appear  at  his  ease  in  society,  carries  his  acting 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  151 

to  the  point  of  familiarity.  Still  his  freedom  was  not  without 
grace,  and  his  demeanor,  very  soon  after  the  slight  perturbation 
of  his  first  accost,  became  natural  and  appropriate  to  his  char- 
acter. 

"Save  you,  madam,"  he  said,  addressing '  the  sister  of  the 
Proprietai'y,  and  bowing  low,  "  and  you,  Mistress  Alice,  and 
you,  my  young  lady  of  the  Rose  Croft.  It  is  a  twelvemonth  since 
I  left  the  port,  and  I  am  glad  to  meet  the  worshipful  ladies  of 
the  province  once  again,  and  to  see  that  good  friends  thrive. 
The  salt  water  whets  a  sailor's  eye  for  friendly  faces.  Mistress 
Blanche,  I  would  take  upon  me  to  say,  without  being  thought 
too  free,  that  you  have  grown  some  trifle  taller  than  before  I 
sailed.     I  did  not  then  think  you  could  be  bettered  in  figure." 

The  maiden  bowed  without  answering  the  skipper's  compli- 
ment. 

"Richard  Cocklescraft,"  said  the  Collector,  "  I  know  not  if 
you  ever  saw  Albert  Verheyden.  Had  he  come  hither  before 
you  sailed  ?     His  Lordship's  secretary." 

"  I  was  not  so  lucky  as  to  fall  into  his  company,"  replied 
Cocklescraft,  turning  towards  the  Secretary,  and  eyeing  him  from 
head  to  foot.  "  I  think  I  heard  that  his  Lordship  brought  new 
comers  with  him.  We  shall  not  lack  acquaintance.  Your  hand, 
Master  Verdun — I  think  so  you  said  ?"  he  added,  as  he  looked 
inquiringly  at  the  Collector. 

The  Collector  again  pronounced  the  name  of  the  Secretary 
with  more  precision. 

"Nearly  the  same  thing,"  continued  the  skipper.  "Master 
Yerheyden,  your  hand  :  mine  is  something  rougher,  but  it  shall 
be  the  hand  of  a  comrade,  if  you  be  in  the  service  of  worshipful 
Master  Anthony  Warden,  the  good  Collector  of  St.  Mary's.  I 
know  how  +,o  value  a  friend,  Master  Secretary,  and  a  friend's 
friend.     You  have  a  rare  voice  for  a  ballad — I  pretend  to  have 


158  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

an  opinion  in  such  matters — an  excellent  voice  and  a  free  finger 
for  the  lute." 

"  I  am  flattered  by  your  liking,  sir,"  returned  Albert  Yerhey- 
den,  coldly,  as  he  retired  towards  a  window,  somewhat  repelled 
by  the  too  freely  proffered  acquaintance  of  the  skipper,  and  the 
rather  loud  voice  and  obtrusive  manner  with  which  he  addressed 
those  around  him. 

"  Oh,  this  craft  of  singing  is  the  touchstone  of  gentility 
now-a-days,"  said  Cocklescraft,  twirling  his  velvet  bonuet  by  the 
gold  tassel  appended  to  the  crown.  "A  man  is  accounted  un- 
furnished who  has  no  skill  in  that  joyous  art.  Sea-bred  as  I  am, 
Collector — worshipful  Master  Warden — you  would  scarce  believe 
me,  but  I  have  touched  lute  and  guitar  myself,  and  passably 
well.  I  learned  this  trick  in  Milan,  whither  I  have  twice  gone  in 
my  voyages,  and  dwelt  there  with  these  Italians,  some  good 
summer  months.  That  is  your  climate  for  dark  eyes  and  bright 
nights — balconies,  and  damsels  behind  the  lattice,  listening 
to  thrummers  and  singers  upon  the  pavements  below.  And 
upon  occasion,  we  wear  the  short  cloak  and  dagger.  I  have 
worn  cloak  and  stiletto  in  my  travels,  Master  Collector,  and 
trolled  a  catch  in  the  true  tongue  of  Tuscany,  when  tuck  and 
rapier  rung  in  the  burden.  The  hot  blood  there  is  a  commodity 
which  the  breeze  from  the  Alps  has  no  virtue  to  cool,  as  it  does 
in  Switzerland." 

"  We  will  try  your  singing  craft  ere  it  be  long,"  replied  the 
Collector.  "We  will  put  you  to  catch  and  glee,  with  a  jig  to  the 
heel  of  it,  Richard  Cocklescraft.  You  must  know,  Blanche  is 
eighteen  on  the  festival  of  St.  Therese,  and  we  have  a  junketing 
forward  which  has  set  the  whole  province  astir.  You  shall  take 
part  in  the  sport  with  the  townspeople,  Master  Skipper  ;  and  I 
warrant  you  find  no  rest  of  limb  until  you  show  us  some  new 
antics  of  the  fashion  which  you  have  picked  up  abroad.    You 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  159 

shall  dance  and  sing  with  witnesses — or  a  good  leg  and  a  topping 
voice  shall  have  no  virtue  !     I  pray  you,  do  not  forget  to  make 
one  of  our  company  on  the  festival  of  St.  Therese.     Your  gew 
gaws,  Richard,  and  woman's  gear,  could  not  be  more  in  season 
every  wench  in  the  port  is  like  to  be  your  debtor." 

"Thanks,  Master  Collector,  I  have  a  foot  and  voice,  ay,  and 
hand,  ever  at  the  service  of  your  good  company.  I  will  be  first 
to  come  and  last  to  depart. — I  have  been  mindful  of  the  Rose  of 
St.  Mary's  in  my  voyaging,"  he  said,  in  a  respectful  and  lowered 
tone,  as  he  approached  the  maiden.  "  Mistress  Blanche  is  never 
so  far  out  of  my  thoughts  that  I  might  come  back  to  the  port 
without  _some  token  for  her.  1  would  crave  your  acceptance  of  a 
pretty  mantle  of  crimson  silk  lined  with  minever.  I  found  it  in 
Dort,  and  being  taken  with  its  beauty,  and  thinking  how  well  it 
would  become  the  gay  figure  of  my  pretty  mistress  of  the  Rose 
Croft,  I  brought  it  away,  and  now  make  bold  to  ask — that  is,  if 
it  be  agreeable  to  Mistress  Blanche,  and  if  I  do  «ot  venture  too 
far — that  I  may  be  allowed  to  bring  it  hither." 

"  You  may  find  a  worthier  hand  for  such  a  favor,"  said 
Blanche,  with  a  tone  and  look  that  somewhat  eagerly  repelled 
the  proffered  gift,  and  manifested  dislike  at  the  liberty  which  the 
skipper  had  taken — a  liberty  which  was  in  no  degree  lessened  to 
her  apprehension  by  the  unaccustomed  gentleness  of  his  voice, 
and  the  humble  and  faltering  manner  in  which  he  had  asked  her 
consent  to  the  present.  "  I  am  unused  to  such  gaudy  trappings, 
and  should  not  be  content  to  wear  the  cloak  ;"  then  perceiving 
some  reproof,  as  she  fancied,  in  the  countenance  of  her  sister 
Alice  and  the  Lady  Maria,  she  added,  in  a  kindlier  voice,  "  I 
dare  not  accept  it  at  your  hand,  Master  Skipper." 

' '  Nay,"  replied  Cocklescraft,  presuming  upon  the  mildness 
of  the  maiden's  last  speech,  and  pressing  the  matter  with  that 
obtrusiveness  which  marked  his  character  and  nurture,  "  I  shall 


L60  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

not1  take  it  kindly  if  you  do  not ;"  and  as  a  flash  overspread  his 
cheek,  he  added,  "  I  counted  to  a  certainty  that  you  would  do 
me  this  courtesy." 

"  Men  sometimes  count  rashly,  Master  Cocklescraft,"  inter- 
posed the  Lady  Maria,  "who  presume  upon  a  maiden's  willing- 
ness to  incur  such  debts." 

"Save  you,  madam,"  replied  the  skipper  ;  "I  should  be  sorry 
Mistress  Blanche  should  deem  it  to  be  incurring  a  debt." 

"  I  have  not  been  trained,"  said  Blanche,  with  perfect  self- 
possession  and  firmness  of  manner,  which  she  intended  should  put 
an  end  to  the  skipper's  importunity,  "to  receive  such  favors 
from  the  hand  of  a  stranger." 

"  You  will,  perchance,  think  better  of  it,  when  you  see  the 
mantle,"  replied  the  skipper,  carelessly  ;  and  then  added  with 
a  saucy  smile,  "  Women  are  changeful,  Master  Collector  ;  I  will 
bring  the  gewgaw  for  Mistress  Blanche's  inspection — a  chapman 
may  have  that  privilege." 

"You  may  spare  yourself  the  trouble,"  said  the  maiden. 

"  Nay,  mistress,  think  it  not  a  trouble,  I  beseech  you  ;  I 
count  nothing  a  trouble  which  shall  allow  me  to  please  your 
fancy."  As  the  skipper  uttered  this  he  came  still  nearer  to  the 
chair  on  which  Blanche  was  seated,  and,  almost  in  a  whisper, 
said,  "  I  pray  you,  mistress,  think  not  so  lightly  of  my  wish 
to  serve  you.  I  have  set  my  heart  upon  your  taking  the 
mantle." 

"  Master  Skipper,  a  word  with  you,"  interrupted  the  Secre- 
tary, who  had  watched  the  whole  scene  ;  and  aware  of  the  an- 
noyance which  Cocklescraft's  rudeness  inflicted  upon  the  maiden, 
had  quietly  approached  him  and  now  beckoned  him  to  a  recess  of 
the  window,  where  they  might  converse  without  being  heard  by 
tne  company.  "  It  is  not  civil  to  importune  the  lady  in  this 
fashion.    You  must  be  satisfied  with  her  answer  as  she  has  given 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  161 

it  to  you.  It  vexes  the  daughter  of  Master  Warden  to  be  thus 
besought,     I  pray  you,  sir,  no  more  of  it." 

Coekleseraft  eyed  the  Secretary  for  a  moment  with  a  glance 
of  scornful  resentment,  and  then  replied  in  a  voice  inaudible  to 
all  but  the  person  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  "Right !  perhaps 
you  are  right,  sir  ;  but  when  I  would  be  tutored  for  my  behavior, 
he  shall  be  a  man  who  takes  that  duty  on  him,  and  shall  wear  a 
beard  and  sword  both.  I  needed  not  thy  schooling,  master 
crotchet-monger  !"  Then  leaving  the  Secretary,  he  strode  towards 
the  maiden,  and  assuming  a  laughing  face,  which  but  awkwardly 
concealed  his  vexation,  he  said,  "  Well,  mistress  Blanche,  since 
you  are  resolved  that  you  will  not  take  my  mantle  off  my  hands, 
I  must  give  it  over  as  a  venture  lost,  and  so  an  end  of  it.  I  were 
a  fool  to  be  vexed  because  I  could  .not  read  the  riddle  of  a 
maiden's  fancy  :  how  should  such  fish  of  the  sea  be  learned  in  so 
gentle  a  study  ?  So,  viaggio,  it  shall  break  no  leg  of  mine  !  I 
will  dance  none  the  less  merrily  for  it  at  the  feast :  and  as  for  the 
mantle,  why  it  may  find  other  shoulders  in  the  port,  though  it 
shall  never  find  them  so  fit  to  wear  it  withal,  as  the  pretty 
shoulders  of  Mistress  Blanche.  Master  Warden,  I  must  take  my 
leave  ;  my  people  wait  me  at  the  quay.  Fair  weather  for  the 
feast,  and  a  merry  time  of  it,  ladies  !    A  Dios,  Master  Collector  !" 

The  gaiety  of  his  leave-taking  was  clashed  with  a  sternness  of 
manner  which  all  the  skipper's  acting  could  not  conceal,  and  as 
he  walked  towards  the  door,  he  paused  a  moment  to  touch 
Albert  Yerheyden's  cloak  and  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  We  shall 
be  better  acquainted,  sir  ;"  then  leaving  the  house  he  rapidly 
shaped  his  course  towards  the  town. 

He  had  scarcely  got  out  of  sight  before  Blanche  sprang  from 
her  chair  and  ran  towards  her  father,  pouring  out  upon  him 
a  volley  of  reproof  for  his  unadvised  and  especially  unauthorized 
invitation  of  the  skipper  to  the  festival.     The  maiden  was  joined 


162  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

in  this  assault  by  her  auxiliaries,  the  Proprietary's  sister  and 
Mistress  Alice,  who  concurred,  in  reading  the  simple-minded  and 
unconsciously  offending  old  gentleman  a  lecture  upon  his  improvi- 
dent interference  in  this  delicate  matter.  They  insisted  that 
Cocklescraft's  associations  in  the  port  gave  him  no  claim  to  such 
a  favor,  and  that,  at  all  events,  it  was  Blanche's  prerogative  to 
be  consulted  in  regard  to  the  admission  of  the  younger  and  gayer 
portions  of  her  company. 

"  Have  you  not  had  your  will,  my  dear  father,"  was  the  sum- 
ming up  of  Blanche's  playful  attack,  "  to  your  full  content,  in 
summoning  all  the  old  humdrum  folks  of  the  province,  even  to 
the  Dominie  and  his  wife,  who  have  never  been  known  to  go 
a  merry-making  anywhere,  and  who  are  both  so  deaf  that  they 
have  not  heard  each  other  speak  this  many  a  day  ?  and  now  you 
must  needs  be  bringing  the  skipper  hither." 

" Lackaday,  wench  !  what  have  I  clone  to  redden  thy  brow?" 
interrupted  Mr.  Warden,  with  a  face  of  perplexed  good  humor, 
unable  longer  to  bear  the  storm  of  rebuke,  or  to  parry  the  argu- 
ments which  were  so  eagerly  thrust  at  him  ;  "I  have  made  mis- 
chief without  knowing  how  !  The  skipper  is  a  free  blade,  of 
good  metal,  and  of  a  figure,  too,  which,  methinks,  might  please  a 
damsel  in  a  dance,  and  spare  us  all  this  coil  ;  his  leg  has  not  its 
fellow  in  the  province.  You  take  me  to  task  roundly,  when  all 
the  while  I  was  so  foolish  as  to  believe  I  was  doing  you  regardful 
service." 

"  He  has  a  wicked  look,  father,"  was  Blanche's  reply  ;  '.'  and 
a  saucy  freedom  which  I  like  not.  He  is  ever  too  bold  in  his 
greeting,  and  lacks  gentle  breeding.  He  must  come  to  me,  for- 
sooth, with  his  mantle,  as  an  especial  token,  and  set  upon  me 
with  so  much  constancy  to  take  it  !  Take  a  mantle  from  him  ! 
I  have  never  even  seen  him  but  twice  before,  and  then  it  was  in 
church,  where  he  claimed  to  speak  to  me  as  if  he  were  an  old 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  163 

acquaintance  !  I  will  none  of  him  nor  his  mantle,  if  he  were  fifty 
times  a  properer  man  than  he  is  !" 

"Be  it  so,  my  daughter,"  replied  the  Collector.  "But  we 
must  bear  this  mishap  cheerily.  I  will  not  offend  again.  You 
women,"  he  said,  as  he  walked  to  and  fro  through  the  parlor, 
with  his  hands  behind  his  back,  and  a  good-natured  smile  playing 
over  his  features,  "you  women  are  more  shrewd  to  read  the 
qualities  of  men,  especially  in  matters  of  behavior,  than  such  old 
pock-puddings  as  I  am.  I  will  be  better  counselled  before  I  tres- 
pass in  this  sort  again.  But  remember,  Blanche,  the  skipper  has 
his  summons,  and  our  hospitality  must  not  suffer  reproach  ;  so  we 
will  e'en  make  the  best  we  can  of  this  blundering  misadventure 
of  mine.  For  our  own  honor,  we  must  be  courteous,  Blanche,  to 
the  skipper  ;  and,  therefore,  do  thou  take  heed  that  he  have  no 
cause  to  say  we  slight  him.     As  I  get  old  I  shall  grow  wise." 

Blanche  threw  her  arms  around  her  father's  neck  and  imprint- 
ing a  kiss  upon  his  brow,  said  in  a  tone  of  affectionate  playfulness, 
"  For  your  sake,  dear  father,  I  will  not  chide  :  the  skipper  shall 
not  want  due  observance  from  me.  I  did  but  speak  to  give  you 
a  caution,  by  which  you  shall  learn  that  the  maidens  of  this  prov- 
ince are  so  foolish  as  to  stand  to  it,  and  I  amongst  the  rest,  that 
they  are  better  able  to  choose  their  gallants  than  their  fathers, 
— though  their  fathers  be  amongst  his  Lordship's  most  trusty  ad- 
visers." 

"  Now  a  thousand  benisons  upon  thy  head,  my  child  !"  said 
the  Collector,  as  he  laid  his  hand  upon  Blanche's  glossy  locks,  and 
then  left  the  apartment. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Friend  to  the  sea,  and  foeman  sworn 
To  all  that  on  her  waves  are  borne, 
When  falls  a  mate  in  battle  broil 
His  comrade  heirs  his  portioned  spoil— 
Chalice  and  plate  from  churches  borne, 
And  gems  from  shrieking  beauty  torn, 
Each  string  of  pearl,  each  silver  bar, 
And  all  the  wealth  of  western  war. 

Eokebt. 


As  the  skipper  strode  towards  the  town,  his  dogged  air  and 
lowering  brow  evinced  the  disquiet  of  his  spirit  at  what  had  just 
occurred.  He  was  nettled  by  the  maiden's  rejection  of  his  prof- 
fered gift,  and  a  still  deeper  feeling  of  resentment  agitated  bis 
mind  against  the  Secretary.  Far  other  man  was  he  than  he  was 
deemed  by  the  burghers  of  St.  Mary's.  In  truth,  they  knew  but 
little  more  of  him  than  might  be  gained  from  his  few  occasional 
visits  to  the  port  in  a  calling  which,  as  it  brought  him  a  fair  har- 
vest of  profit,  laid  him  under  a  necessity  to  cultivate,  for  the  nonce, 
the  good  opinion  of  his  customers  by  such  address  as  he  was  mas- 
ter of. 

Cocklescraft  belonged  to  that  tribe  of  desperate  men,  until 
near  this  period  in  the  full  career  of  their  bloody  successes,  known 
as  "The  Brethren  of  the  Coast."  His  first  breath  was  drawn 
upon  the  billows  of  the  ocean,  and  his  infancy  was  nursed  in  the 
haunts  of  the  buccaneers,  amongst  the  Keys  of  the  Bahamas. 
When  but  a  lad,  attending  upon  these  wild  bands  in  their  expe- 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  165 

difions  against  the  commerce  of  the  Gulf,  he  chanced  to  attract 
the  notice  of  the  famous  Captain  Morgan,  whilst  that  most  rapa- 
cious of  all  the  pirate  leaders  was  preparing,  at  Jamaica,  for  his 
incursion  against  Maracaibo.  The  freebooter  was  charmed  with 
the  precocious  relish  for  rapine  conspicuous  in  the  character  of 
the  boy  ;  and,  with  an  affectionate  interest,  took  him  under  his 
tutelage,  assigning  to  him  a  post  near  his  person,  rather  of  page- 
antry than  service — that  Of  a  page  or  armor-bearer,  according 
to  the  yet  lingering  forms  of  chivalry.  The  incredible  bravery 
of  the  buccaneers  in  this  exploit,  and  their  detestable  cruelties, 
were  witnessed  by  this  callow  imp  of  the  sea,  with  a  delight  and 
a  shrewdness  of  apprehension  which  gave  to  his  youthful  nature 
the  full  benefit  of  the  lesson.  He  was  scarce  two  years  older 
when,  in  the  due  succession  of  his  hopeful  experience,  he  again  at- 
tended his  patron  upon  that  unmatched  adventure  of  plunder  and 
outrage,  the  leaguer  of  Panama  ;  and  it  was  remarked  that 
amidst  the  perils  of  the  cruise  upon  the  Costa  Rica,  the  toils  of 
the  inland  march  over  moor  and  mountain,  and  the  desperate 
hazards  of  the  storming  of  the  city,  the  page,  graceful  and  active 
as  the  minion  of  a  lady's  bower,  and  fierce  as  a  young  sea-wolf, 
was  seen  every  where,  like  an  elfish  sprite,  tracking  the  footsteps 
of  his  ruthless  master.  The  history  of  human  wickedness  has  not 
a  more  appalling  chapter  than  that  which  records  the  fate  of  the 
wretched  inhabitants  of  Panama  in  this  assault  ;  and  yet,  in  the 
midst  of  its  shocking  enormities,  the  gay  and  tasseled  familiar  of 
the  ruffian  pirate  chief  tripped  daintily  through  the  carnage,  with 
the  light  step  of  a  reveller,  and  pursued  the  flying  virgins  and 
affrighted  matrons,  from  house  to  house,  as  the  flames  enveloped 
their  roof  trees,  with  the  mockery  and  prankishness  of  an  actor 
in  a  masquerade.  This  expedition  terminated  not  without  adding 
another  item  to  the  experience  of  the  young  freebooter — the  only 
one,  perhaps,  yet  wanting  to  his  perfect  accomplishment. — The 


166  ROB     OF. THE     BOWL. 

Welsh  Captain,  laden  with  spoils  of  untold  value,  played  false  to 
his  comrades,  by  stealing  off  with  the  lion's  share  of  the  booty  ; 
thus,  by  a  gainful  act  of  perfidy,  inculcating  upon  the  eager  sus- 
ceptibility of  the  page  an  imposing  moral,  of  which  it  may  be  sup- 
posed he  would  not  be  slow  to  profit. 

Such  was  the  school  in  which  Cocklescraft  received  the  rudi- 
ments of  his  education.  These  harsher  traits  of  his  character, 
however,  it  is  but  justice  to  say,  were,  in  some  degree,  mitigated 
by  a  tolerably  fair  amount  of  scholastic  accomplishment,  picked  up 
in  the  intervals  of  his  busy  life  amongst  the  scant  teaching  afforded 
by  the  islands,  of  which  the  protection  and  care  of  his  patron  en- 
abled him  to  profit.  To  this  was  added  no  mean  skill  in  music, 
dancing,  and  the  use  of  his  weapon  ;  whilst  a  certain  enthusiasm 
of  temperament  stimulated  his  courage  and  even  whetted  the 
fierceness  of  his  nature. 

Morgan,  having  run  his  career,  returned  to  England,  a  man 
of  wealth,  and  was  knighted  by  the  monarch,  in  one  of  those  pro- 
fligate revels  by  which  Charles  disgraced  his  kingly  state  ;  the 
page  was,  in  consequence,  turned  adrift  upon  the  world,  as  it  is 
usual  to  say  of  heroes,  "  with  no  fortune  but  his  talents,  and  no 
friend  but  his  sword."  Riot  soon  exhausted  his  stock  of  plunder, 
and  the  prodigal  licentiousness  of  "  The  Brethren  of  the  Coast," 
forbade  the  gathering  of  a  future  hoard.  About  this  date  the 
European  powers  began  to  deal  more  resolutely  with  the  banditti 
of  the  islands,  and  their  trade  consequently  became  more  preca- 
rious. They  were  compelled,  in  pursuit  of  new  fields  for  robbery, 
to  cross  the  isthmus  and  try  their  fortunes  on  the  coast  of  the 
Pacific — whither  Cocklescraft  followed  and  reaped  his  harvest  in 
the  ravage  of  Peru  :  but  in  turn,  the  Brethren  found  themselves 
tracked  into  these  remoter  seas,  and  our  adventurer  was  fain, 
with  many  of  his  comrades,  to.  find  his  way  back  to  the  coves  and 
secret  harbors  of  Tortuga  and  the  Keys,  whence  he  contrived  to 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  161 

win  a  subsistence,  by  an  occasional  stoop  upon  such  defenceless 
wanderers  of  the  ocean  as  chance  threw  within  his  grasp.  The 
Olive  Branch  was  a  beautiful  light  vessel,  which,  in  one  of  his  sea- 
forays,  he  had  wrested  from  a  luckless  merchant  ;  and  this  acqui- 
sition suggested  to  him  the  thought  that,  with  such  necessary 
alterations  as  should  disguise  her  figure  and  equipment,  he  might 
drive  a  more  secure,  and,  perchance,  more  profitable  trade  between 
the  Atlantic  colonies  and  the  old  countries  ;  so,  with  a  mongrel 
crew  of  trusty  cut-throats,  carefully  selected  from  the  companions 
of  his  former  fortunes,  and  a  secret  armament  well  bestowed  for 
sudden  emergency,  he  set  himself  up  for  an  occasional  trader 
between  the  Chesapeake  and  the  coast  of  Holland.  A  lucky 
acquaintance  with  the  Cripple  of  St.  Jerome's  gave  him  a  useful 
ally  in  his  vocation  as  a  smuggler  ;  the  fisherman's  hut,  long 
believed  to  be  the  haunt  of  evil  spirits,  admirably  favored  his 
design,  and  under  the  management  of  Rob,  soon  became  a  spot 
of  peculiar  desecration  in  popular  report ;  and  thus,  in  no  long 
space  of  time,  the  gay,  swashing  cavalier,  master  of  the  Olive 
Branch,  began  to  find  good  account  in  his  change  of  character 
from  the  flibustier  of  the  Keys  into  that  of  smuggler  and  trader 
of  the  Chesapeake.  He  had  now  made  several  voyages  from  St. 
Mary's  to  the  various  marts  of  Holland  and  England,  taking  out 
cargoes  of  tobacco  and  bringing  back  such  merchandise  as  was 
likely  to  find  a  ready  sale  in  the  colonies.  His  absence  from  port 
was  often  mysteriously  prolonged,  and  on  his  return  it  not  unfre- 
quently  happened  that  there  were  found  amongst  his  cargo  com- 
modities such  as  might  scarce  be  conjectured  to  have  been  brought 
from  the  ports  of  Europe, — consisting  some  times  of  tropical 
fruits,  ingots  of  gold  and  silver,  and  sundry  rich  furniture  of 
Indian  aspect,  better  fitted  for  the  cabinet  of  the  virtuoso  than 
the  trade  of  a  new  province.  Then,  also,  there  were  occasionally 
costly  stuffs,  and  tissues  of  exceeding  richness,  such  as  cloth  of 


168  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

gold,  velvets  of  Genoa,  arras  tapestry,  and  even  pictures  which 
might  have  hung  in  churches.  These  commodities  were  in- . 
variably  landed  at  St.  Jerome's  Bay  before  the  Olive  Branch 
East  her  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  St.  Mary's,  and  were  reshipped 
an  the  outward  voyage.  The  Cripple  of  St.  Jerome's  had  a  few 
customers  who  were  privileged  at  certain  periods  to  traffic  with 
him  in  a  species  of  merchandise  of  which  he  was  seldom  without 
a  supply  at  his  command — chiefly  wines  and  strong  waters,  and 
coarser  household  goods,  which  were  charily  exhibited  in  small 
parcels  at  the  hut,  and  when  the  bargain  was  made,  supplied  in 
greater  bulk  by  unseen  hands  from  secret  magazines,  concerning 
which  the  customer  was  not  so  rash  as  even  to  inquire — for  Rob 
was  a  man  who,  the  country  people  most  devoutly  believed,  had 
immediate  commerce  with  the  Evil  One,  and  who,  it  was  known, 
would  use  his  dagger  before  he  gave  warning  by  words. 

The  open  and  lawful  dealing  of  the  skipper,  in  the  port  of  St. 
Mary's,  had  brought  him  into  an  acquaintance  with  most  of  the 
inhabitants,  and  as  his  arrival  was  always  a  subject  of  agreeable 
expectation,  he  was,  by  a  natural  consequence,  looked  upon  with 
a  friendly  regard.  His  address,  gaiety  of  demeanor,  and  fine 
figure — which  last  was  studiously  set  off  to  great  advantage  by  a 
rich  and  graceful  costume — heightened  this  sentiment  of  personal 
favor,  and  gave  him  privileges  in  the  society  of  the  town  which, 
in  that  age  of  scrupulous  regard  to  rank,  would  have  been  denied 
him  if  he  had  been  a  constant  sojourner.  Emboldened  by  this 
reception  he  had  essayed  to  offer  some  gallant  civilities  to  the 
maiden  of  the  Bose  Croft,  which  were  instantly  repelled,  however, 
by  the  most  formal  coldness.  The  skipper  was  not  so  practised 
an  observer  as  to  perceive  in  this  repugnance  the  actual  aversion 
which  the  maiden  felt  against  his  advances  to  acquaintance  ;  and 
he  was  content  to  account  it  a  merely  girlish  reserve  which  im- 
portunity and  assiduous  devotion  might  overcome.     His  vanity 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  169 

suggested  the  resolve  to  conquer  the  damsel's  indifference  ;  and 
as  that  thought  grew  upon  his  fancy,  it,  by  degrees,  ripened  into 
a  settled  purpose,  which  in  the  end  completely  engrossed  his  mind. 
As  he  brooded  over  the  subject,  and  permitted  his  imagination  to 
linger  around  that  form  of  beauty  and  loveliness, — cherished,  as  it 
was,  during  the  long  weeks  of  his  lonely  tracking  of  the  sea,  and 
in  the  solitary  musings  and  silent  night-watches  of  his  deck, — a 
romantic  ardor  was  kindled  in  his  breast,  and  he  hastened  back 
to  the  port  of  St.  Mary's,  strangely  wrought  upon  by  new 
impulses,  which  seemed  to  have  humanized  and  mellowed  even 
his  rude  nature  :  the  shrewder  observers  were  aware  of  more 
gentleness  in  his  bearing,  though  they  found  him  more  wayward 
in  his  temper  ; — he  was  prouder  of  heart,  yet  with  humbler 
speech,  and  often  more  stern  than  before.  The  awakening  of 
a  new  passion  had  over-mastered  both  the  ferocity  and  the  levity 
of  his  character.  He  was,  in  truth,  the  undivulged,  anxious,  and 
almost  worshipping  lover  of  Blanche  Warden. 

When  such  a  nature  as  I  have  described  chances  to  fall  into 
the  loving  vein,  it  will  be  admitted  to  be  a  somewhat  fearful 
category  both  for  the  lady  and  the  lover's  rival.  Such  men  are 
not  apt  to  mince  matters  in  the  course  of  their  wooing. 

This  was  the  person  who  now  plied  his  way  towards  the  port, 
in  solitary  rumination  over  two  distinct  topics  of  private  grief, 
each  of  a  nature  to  rouse  the  angry  devil  of  his  bosom.  He  could 
not  but  see  that  his  first  approach  towards  the  favor  of  his  mis- 
tress had  been  promptly  repelled.  That  alone  would  have  filled 
his  mind  with  bitterness,  and  given  a  harsh  complexion  to  his 
thoughts  ; — but  this  cause  of  complaint  was  almost  stifled  by  the 
more  engrossing  sentiment  of  hostility  against  the  Secretary 
That  he  should  have  been  rebuked  for  his  behavior  by  a  man, — 
and  a  man,  too,  who  evidently  stood  well  with  the  lady  of  his 
love  ;  taken  to  task  and  chid  in  the  very  presence  of  his  mistress. 
8 


170  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

— 'was  an  offence  that  called  immediately  to  his  manhood  and  de- 
manded redress.  Such  redress  was  more  to  his  hand  than  the 
nicer  subtleties  of  weighing  the  maiden's  displeasure,  and  he  turned 
to  it  with  a  natural  alacrity,  as  to  a  comfort  in  his  perplexity.  It 
is  the  instinct  of  a  rude  nature  to  refer  all  cases  of  wounded  sen- 
sibility to  the  relief  of  battle.  A  rejected  lover,  like  a  child  who 
has  lost  a  toy,  finds  consolation  in  his  distress  by  fighting  any  one 
that  he  can  persuade  himself  has  stood  in  his  way,  and  he  is  made 
happy  when  there  chances  to  be  some  plausible  ground  for  such  a 
proceeding.  The  skipper  thought  the  subject  over  in  every  as- 
pect which  his  offended  pride  could  fancy.  At  one  moment  the 
idea  of  quarrel  with  the  Secretary  pleased  him,  and  almost  recon- 
ciled him  to  the  maiden's  coldness  ;  at  the  next  he  doubted 
whether,  after  all,  she  had  in  fact  designed  to  repel  his  friendship. 
He  vibrated  between  these  considerations  for  a  space  in  silence  : 
his  pride  quelled  the  expression  of  his  anger.  But  by  degrees  his 
quickened  pace  and  sturdier  step,  and,  now  and  then,  that  slight 
shake  of  the  head  by  which  men  sometimes  expTess  determination, 
made  it  plain  that  the  fiery  element  in  his  bosom  was  rising  in 
tumult.  At  length,  unable  to  suppress  his  feeling,  the  inward 
commotion  found  utterance  in  words. 

"  Who  and  what  is  this  Master  Secretary  that  has  set  the 
maiden  of  the  Rose  Cr.oft  to  look  upon  me  with  an  evil  spirit  ?  I 
would  fain  know  if  he  think  himself  a  properer  man  than  I.  Does 
he  stand  upon  his  fingering  of  a  lute,  and  his  skill  to  dance  ? — 
Why  even  in  this  chamber-craft  I  will  put  it  to  a  wager  he  is  no 
master  of  mine.  Is  he  more  personable  in  shape  or  figure  ? — goes 
he  in  better  apparel  ?  or  is  that  broken  English  of  his  more  nat- 
ural to  the  province  than  ray  plain  speech,  that  he  should  claim 
the  right  to  chide  me  for  my  behavior  ?  Is  it  that  he  has  a  place 
in  the  train  of  his  Lordship  ?  Have  not  I  served  as  near  to  a 
belted  knia-ht — lord  of  a  thousand  stout  hearts  and  master  of  a 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  171 

fleet  of  thirty  sail  ? — ay,  and  in  straits  where  you  should  as  soon 
expect  to  meet  a  hare  as  that  crotchet-monger.  A  bookish  clerk 
with  no  manly  calling  that  should  soil  his  raff  in  the  space  of  a 
moon  !  By  St.  Iago,  but  I  will  put  him  to  his  books  to  learn  how 
he  shall  heal  the  stroke  of  a  choleric  hand,  when  the  time  shall 
serve  to  give  him  the  taste  of  it  ! — Mistress  Blanche  would  not 
be  importuned — indeed  !  And  he  must  be  my  tutor  to  teach  me 
what  pleaseth  Mistress  Blanche.  He  lied — the  maiden  did  not 
mislike  my  question  ; — she  but  hung  her  head  to  have  it  so  open- 
ly spoken.  I  know  she  does  not  set  at  naught  my  favors,  but  as 
damsels  from  custom  do  a  too  public  tender  of  a  token.  Old  An- 
thony Warden  counts  his  friends  by  their  manhood,  and  he  has 
shown  me  grace  : — his  daughter  in  the  end  will  follow  his  likings, 
and  as  the  father's  choice  approves,  so  will  hers  incline.  Am  I 
less  worthy  in  old  Master  Warden's  eyes  than  yonder  parchment 
bearer — that  pen-and-ink  slave  of  his  Lordship's  occasions  ? — he 
that  durst  not  raise  his  eye  above  his  Lordship's  shoe,  nor  speak 
out  of  a  whisper  when  his  betters  are  in  presence  ?  What  is  he, 
to  put  me  from  the  following  of  my  own  will  when  it  pleases  me 
to  speak  to  any  maiden  of  this  province  ? — I  am  of  the  sea — the 
broad,  deep  sea  !  she  hath  nursed  me  in  her  bosom, — and  hath 
given  me  my  birth-right  to  be  as  proudly  borne  as  the  honors  of 
any  lord  of  the  land.  I  have  a  brave  deck  for  my  foot,  a  good 
blade  for  my  belt,  the  bountiful  ocean  before  me,  and  a  score  of 
merry  men  at  my  back.  Are  these  conditions  so  mean  that  I 
must  brook  the  Secretary's  displeasure  or  fashion  my  speech  to  suit 
his  liking  ? — We  shall  understand  each  other  better,  in  good 
time,  or  I  shall  lack  opportunity  to  speak  my  mind  : — I  shall, 
good  Master  Verheyden, — you  have  the  word  of  a  'Brother  of 
the  Bloody  Coast'  for  that  !" 

Before  the  skipper  had  ceased  this  petulant  and  resentful  self- 
coramuuion,  he  found  himself  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Catholic 


172  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

chapel,  nearly  in  front  of  the  dwelling  of  Father  Pierre,  when  the 
good  priest,  who  was  at  this  moment  returning  from  noon-day 
service,  took  him  at  unawares  with  the  salutation, — 

"  Peace  be  with  you,  son  ! — you  reckon  up  the  sum  of  your 
ventures  with  a  careful  brow,  and  speak  loud  enough  to  make  the 
town  acquainted  with  your  gains,  if  perchance  some  of  the  chap- 
men with  whom  you  have  dealing  should  be  in  your  path.  How 
fares  it  with  you,  Master  Skipper  ?" 

"  Ha,  Mi  Padre  !"  exclaimed  Cocklescraft,  instantly  throwing 
aside  his  graver  thoughts  and  assuming  a  jocular  tone.  "  Well 
met  ;— I  was  on  my  way  'o  visit  you  :  that  would  I  have  done 
yesterday  upon  my  arrival,  but  that  the  press  of  my  business  would 
not  allow  it.  You  grow  old,  Father,  so  evenly  that,  although  I 
see  you  but  after  long  partings,  I  can  count  no  fresh  touch  of  time 
upon  your  head." 

"  Men  of  your  calling  should  not  flatter,''  said  the  priest  smil- 
ing.    "What  news  do  you  bring  us  from  the  old  world  ?" 

"  Oh,  much  and  merry,  Father  Pierre.  The  old  world  plies 
her  old  trade  and  thrives  by  it.  Knavery  has  got  somewhat  of  the 
upper  hand  since  they  have  quit  crossing  swords  in  this  new  peace 
of  Nimeguen.  The  Hogan  Morgans  are  looking  a  little  surly  at  the 
Frenchman  for  cocking  his  beaver  so  bravely  ;  and  our  jobber- 
nowl English,  now  that  they  can  find  no  more  reason  to  throttle 
each  other,  have  gone  back  to  their  old  sport  of  pricking  the  side 
of  our  poor  church.  You  shall  find  as  many  plots  in  London, 
made  out  of  hand  and  ready  for  use  in  one  month,  as  would  serve 
all  the  stage  plays  of  the  kingdom  for  the  next  hundred  years — 
and  every  plot  shall  have  a  vile  Papist  at  the  bottom  of  it, — if 
you  may  believe  Oates  and  Bedloe.  I  was  there  when  my  Lord 
Stafford  was  made  a  head  shorter  on  Tower  Hill  You  heard 
of  this,  Father  ?" 

"  Alack  !  in  sorrow  we  heard  of  this  violence,"  replied  the 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  113 

priest  ;  "  and  deeply  did  it  grieve  my  Lord  to  lose  so  good  a 
friend.  Even  as  you  have  found  it  in  England,  so  is  it  here. 
The  discontents  against  the  holy  church  are  nursed  by  many  who 
seek  thereby  to  command  the  province.  We  have  plotters  here' 
who  do  not  scruple  to  contrive  against  the  life  of  his  Lordship 
and  his  Lordship's  brother  the  Chancellor.  Besides,  the  govern- 
ment at  home  is  unfriendly  to  us." 

"You  have  late  news  from  England?"  inquired  the  skip- 
per. 

"  We  have, — and  which,  but  that  you  are  true  in  your  creed, 
I  might  scarce  mention  to  your  ear — the  royal  order  has  come  to 
my  Lord  to  dismiss  his  Catholic  servants  from  office — every  one. 
His  Lordship  scruples  to  obey.  This,  Master  Skipper,  I  confide 
to  you  in  private,  as  not  to  be  told  again." 

"  To  remove  all !"  said  Cocklescraft.  "  Why  it  will  sweep 
off  his  nearest  friends— Anthony  Warden  and  all." 

"Even  so." 

"There  is  fighting  matter  in  that,  upon  the  spot,"  exclaimed 
the  skipper.  "  I  hope  it  may  come  up  while  I  am  in  port  !  The 
Collector,  old  as  he  is,  will  buckle  on  his  toledo  in  that  quarrel. 
He  has  mettle  for  it  •  and  I  could  wish  no  better  play  than  to 
stand  by  his  side.  Who  is  this  Secretary  of  my  Lord's  private 
chamber  ?     I  met  him  at  the  Collector's  to-day." 

"  Master  Albert  Verheyden,"  replied  the  priest. 

"  I  know  his  name — they  told  it  to  me  there — but  his  quality 
and  condition,  father  ?" 

"  You  may  be  proud  of  his  fellowship,"  said  Father  Pierre  ; 
"  he  was  once  a  scholar  of  the  Jesuit  school  at  Antwerp,  of  the 
class  inscribed  '  Princeps  Diligentiae,'  and  brought  thence  by  my 
Lord,  A  youth,  Master  Cocklescraft,  of  promise  and  discretion 
— a  model  to  such  as  would  learn  good  manners  and  cherish 
virtuous  inclinations.     You  may  scarcely  fail  to  see  him  at  the 


174  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

Collector's  :  the  townspeople  do  say  he  has  an  eye  somewhat 
dazzled  there." 

"  Craving  pardon  for  my  freedom,  I  say,  Father  Pierre,  a  fig's 
end  for  such  a  model  !"  exclaimed  the  skipper,  pettishly  ;  "  you 
may  have  such  by  the  score,  wherever  lazy,  bookish  men  eat  their 
bread.  I  like  him  not,  with  his  laced  band  and  feather,  his  book 
and  lute  :  harquebuss  and  whinyard  are  the  tools  for  these  days. 
I  hear  the  Fendalls  have  been  at  mischief  again.  We  shall  come 
to  bilbo  and  buff  before  long.  Your  Secretary  will  do  marvellous 
service  in  these  straits,  Father." 

"  Son,  you  are  somewhat  sinful  in  your  scorn,"  said 
the  priest,  mildly  ;  "  the  Secretary  does  not  deserve  this 
taunt " 

"  By  the  holy  hermits,  Father,  I  speak  of  the  Secretary  but  as 
I  think.  He  does  not  awe  me  with  his  greatness.  I  vail  no  top- 
sail to  him,  I  give  you  my  word  for  it." 

"  The  saints  preserve  us  from  harm  !"  said  the  churchman. 
"  We  know  not  what  may  befall  us  from  the  might  of  our 
enemies,  when  this  hot  blood  shall  sunder  our  friends.  In  sober 
counsel,  son,  and  not  in  rash  divisions  shall  we  find  our  safety. 
It  does  not  become  you,  Master  Cocklescraft,  to  let  your  tetchy 
humor  rouse  you  against  the  Secretary.  It  might  warrant  my 
displeasure." 

"  Mea  culpa,  holy  father — I  do  confess  my  fault,"  said  the 
seaman,  in  a  tone  of  assumed  self-constraint — "  I  will  not  again 
offend  ;  and  for  my  present  atonement  will  offer  a  censer  of  pure 
silver,  which  in  my  travels  I  picked  up,  and,  in  truth,  did  then 
design  to  give  to  the  Chapel  of  St.  Mary's.  I  will  bring  it  to  the 
chapel,  Father  Pierre,  as  soon  as 'my  vessel  is  unladen." 

"  You  should  offer  up  your  anger,  too,  to  make  this  gift 
acceptable,"  returned  the  priest.  "  Let  thy  dedication  be  with  a 
cleansed  heart." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  175 

"  Ha,  Father  Pierre,"  said  the  skipper,  jocularly  ;  "  my  con- 
science does  easily  cast  off  a  burden  :  so  it  shall  be  as  you  com- 
mand. I  did  not  tell  you  that  whilst  my  brigantine  lay  in  the 
Helder,  I  made  a  land  flight  to  Louvaine,  where  a  certain  Abbot 
of  Andoyne — a  pious,  somewhat  aged,  and,  thanks  to  a  wholesome, 
refectory  !  a  good  jolly  priest, — hearing  I  came  from  the  province, 
must  needs  send  for  me  to  ask  if  I  knew  Father  Pierre  de  la  Maise, 
and  upon  my  answer,  that  I  did  right  well,  he  begs  me  to  bring 
his  remembrance  back  to  you." 

"I  knew  Father  Grervase,"  replied  the  priest  with  a  counte- 
nance full  of  benignity,  "some  forty  years  ago,  when  he  was 
a  reader  in  the  Chair  of  St.  Isidore  at  Rome.  He  remembers 
me  ? — a  blessing  on  his  head  !— and  he  wears  well,  Master 
Skipper  ?" 

"  Quite  as  well  as  yourself,"  replied  Cocklescraft.  "  Father, 
a  cup  of  your  cool  water,  and  I  will  depart,"  he  said,  as  he 
helped  himself  to  the  draught.  "  I  will  take  heed  to  what  you 
have  said  touching  the  royal  oi'der — and  by  St.  Iago,  I  will  be  a 
friend  in  need  to  the  Collector.  Master  Yerheyden  shall  not  be 
a  better  one.  Now  fare  you  well,  Father.  Peregrine  Cadger 
shall  have  order  to  cut  you  off  a  cassock  from  the  best  cloth  I 
have  brought  him,  and  little  Abbot  the  tailor  shall  put  it  in 
fashion  for  you." 

"  You  are  lavish  of  your  bounties,  son,"  replied  the  priest, 
taking  Cocklescraft  by  both  hands  as  he  was  now  about  to  with- 
draw. "  You  have  a  poor  churchman's  thanks.  It  gives  me 
comfort  to  be  so  considered,  and  I  prize  your  kindness  more 
than  the  cassock.  A  blessing  on  thy  ways,  Master  Cockles- 
craft !" 

The  skipper  once  more  set  forth  on  his  way  towards  the  port ; 
and  with  a  temper  somewhat  allayed  by  the  acting  of  the  scene  I 
have  just  described,  though  with  no  abatement  of  the  resentment 


176  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

which  rankled  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  even  under  the  smiling 
face  and  gay  outside  which  he  could  assume  with  the  skill  of  a 
consummate  dissembler,  he  soon  reached  the  Crow  and  Archer. 
From  thence  he  meditated,  as  soon  as  his  occasions  would  permit, 
a  visit  to  the  Cripple  of  St.  Jerome's. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


""Who  be  these,  sir  ?" 

"  Fellows  to  mount  a  bank.    Did  your  instructor 
In  the  dear  tongues  never  discourse  to  you 
Of  the  Italian  mountebanks  ?'' 
'  Yes,  sir." 

"Why  here  you  shall  see  one." 

"  They  are  quacksalvers, 
Fellows  that  live  by  vending  oils  and  drugs." 

Volpone. 


The  council  had  been  summoned  to  meet  on  the  morning  follow- 
ing that  of  the  incidents  related  in  the  last  chapter,  and  the  mem- 
bers were  now  accordingly  assembling  at  the  Proprietary  mansion. 
The  arrival  of  one  or  two  gentlemen  on  horseback  with  their  ser- 
vants, added  somewhat  to  the  bustle  of  the  stable  yard,  which 
was  already  the  scene  of  that  kind  of  busy  idleness  and  lounging 
occupation  so  agreeable  to  the  menials  of  a  large  establishment. 
Here,  in  one  quarter,  a  few  noisy  grooms  were  collected  around 
the  watering  troughs,  administering  the  discipline  of  the  curry- 
comb or  the  wash-bucket  to  some  half  score  of  horses.  In  a  cor- 
ner of  the  yard  Dick  Pagan  the  courier  and  Willy  o'  the  Flats, 
.with  the  zeal  of  amateur  vagrants,  were  striving  to  cozen  each 
other  out  of  their  coppers  at  the  old  game  of  Cross  and  Pile  ; 
whilst,  in  an  opposite  direction,  Derrick  was  exhibiting  to  a  group 
of  spectators,  amongst  whom  the  young  heir  apparent  was  a 
prominent  personage,  a  new  set  of  hawk  bells  just  brought  by  the 
Olive  Branch  from  Dort,  and  lecturing,  with  a  learned  gravity, 


118  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

upon  their  qualities,  to  the  infinite  edification  and  delight  of  his 
youthful  pupil.  Fox  hounds,  mastiffs,  and  terriers,  mingled  indis- 
criminately amongst  these  groups,  as  if  confident  of  that  favorit- 
ism which  is  the  universal  privilege  of  the  canine  race  amongst 
good  tempered  persons  and  contented  idlers  all  the  world  over. 
Whilst  the  inhabitants  of  the  yard  were  engrossed  with  these  occu- 
pations, a  trumpet  was  heard  at  a  distance  in  the  direction  of  the 
town.  The  blast  came  so  feebly  upon  the  ear  as,  at  first,  to  pass 
unregarded,  but  being  repeated  at  short  intervals,  and  at  every 
repetition  growing  louder,  it  soon  arrested  the  general  attention, 
and  caused  an  inquiry  from  all  quarters  into  the  meaning  of  so 
unusual  an  incident. 

"  I  think  that  there  be  an  alarm  of  Indians  in  the  town  !"  ex- 
claimed the  falconer,  as  he  spread  his  hand  behind  his  ear  and 
listened  for  some  moments,  with  a  solemn  and  portentous  visage. 
"  Look  to  it,  lads — there  may  be  harm  afoot.  Put  up  your  half- 
pence, Dick  Pagan,  and  run  forward  to  seek  out  the  cause  of  this 
trumpeting.     I  will  wager  it  means  mischief,  masters." 

"  Indians  !"  said  Willy  ;  "  Derrick's  five  wits  have  gone  on  a 
fool's  errand  ever  since  the  murder  of  that  family  at  the  Zachaiah 
fort  by  the  salvages.  If  the  Indians  were  coming  you  should  hear 
three  guns  from  Master  Randolph  Brandt's  look-out  on  the  Notley 
road.  It  is  more  likely  there  may  be  trouble  at  the  gaol  with 
the  townspeople,  for  there  was  a  whisper  afloat  yesterday  concern- 
ing a  rescue  of  the  prisoners.  Truth,  the  fellow  has  a  lusty  breath 
who  blows  that  trumpet  !" 

"Ay,  and  the  trumpet,"  said  Derrick,  "is  not  made  to  dance 
with,  masters  :  there  is  war  and  throat-cutting  in  it,  or  I  am  no 
true  man." 

During  this  short  exchange  of  conjectures,  Dick  Pagan  had 
hastened  to  the  gate  which  opened  towards  the  town,  and  mount- 
ing the  post,  for  the  sake  of  a  more  extensive  view,  soon  discerned 


BOB     OF    THE     BOWL.  119 

the  object  of  alarm,  when,  turning  towards  his  companions,  he 
shouted, 

"  Wounds, — but  here's  a  sight  !  Pike  and  musket,  belt  and 
saddle,  boys  !  To  it  quickly  ; — you  shall  have  rare  work  anon. 
Wake  up  the  ban  dogs  of  the  fort  and  get  into  your  harness 
Here  comes  the  Dutch  Doctor  with  his  trumpeter  as  tierce  as  the 
Dragon  of  Wantley.     Buckle  to  and  stand  your  ground  !" 

"  Ho,  ho  I"  roared  the  fiddler  with  an  impudent,  swaggering 
laugh.  "  Here  is  a  pretty  upshot  to  your  valors  !  Much  cry  and 
little  wool,  like  the  Devil's  hog-shearing  at  Christmas.  You 
dullards,  couldn't  I  have  told  you  it  was  the  Dutch  Doctor, — if 
your  fright  had  left  you  but  a  handful  of  sense  to  ask  a  question? 
Didn't  I  see  both  him  and  his  trumpeter  last  night  at  the  Crow 
and  Archer,  with  all  their  jingumbobs  in  a  pair  of  panniers  ?  Oh, 
but  he  is  a  rare  doctor,  and  makes  such  cures,  I  warrant  you,  as 
have  never  been  seen,  known  or  heard  of  since  the  days  of  St. 
Byno,  who  built  up  his  own  serving  man  again,  sound  as  a  pip- 
kin, after  the  wild  beasts  had  him  for  supper." 

The  trumpet  now  sent  forth  a  blast  which  terminated  in 
a  long  flourish,  indicating  the  approach  of  the  party  to  the  verge 
within  which  it  might  not  be  allowable  to  continue  such  a  clamor; 
and  in  a  few  moments  afterwards  the  Doctor  with  his  attendant 
entered  the  stable  yard.  He  was  a  little,  sharp-featured,  portly 
man,  of  a  brown,  dry  complexion,  in  white  periwig,  cream-colored 
coat,  and  scarlet  small  clothes  :  of  a  br'sk  gait,  and  consequential 
air,  which  was  heightened  by  the  pompous  gesture  with  which 
he  swayed  a  gold-mounted  cane  full  as  tall  as  himself.  His 
attendant,  a  bluff,  burly,  red-eyed  man,  with  a  singularly  stolid 
countenance,  tricked  out  in  a  grotesque  costume,  of  which  a 
short  cloak,  steeple-crowned  hat  and  feather,  and  enormous  nether 
garments,  all  of  striking  colors,  were  the  most  notable  components, 
bore  a  brass  trumpet  suspended  on  one  side,  and  a  box  of  no 


180  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

inconsiderable  dimensions  in  front  of  his  person  ;  and  thus  fur 
nished,  followed  close  at  the  heels  of  the  important  individual 
whose  coming  had  been  so  authentically  announced. 

No  sooner  had  the  Doctor  got  fairly  within  the  gate  than  he 
was  met  by  Derrick  Brown,  who,  being  the  most  authoritative 
personage  in  the  yard,  took  upon  himself  the  office  of  giving  the 
stranger  welcome. 

"  Frents,  how  do  you  do  ?"  was  the  Doctor's  accost  in  a  strong, 
Low  Dutch  method  of  pronouncing  English.  "  I  pelieve  dis  is 
not  de  gate  I  should  have  entered  to  see  his  Lordship  de  Lord 
Proprietary,"  he  added,  looking  about  him  with  some  surprise  to 
find  where  he  was. 

"If  it  was  my  Lord  you  came  to  see,"  said  the  falconer, 
"  you  should  have  turned  to  your  right,  and  gone  by  the  road 
which  leads  to  the  front  of  the  house.  But  the  way  you  have 
come  is  no  whit  the  longer  :  we  can  take  you  through,  Master 
Doctor,  by  the  back  door." 

"  Veil,  veil,  dere  is  nodiug  lost  by  peing  acquainted  at  once 
wid  de  people  of  de  house,"  replied  the  man  of  medicine  ;  "dere' 
is  luck  to  make  your  first  entrance  by  de  pack  door,  as  de  old 
saying  is.  I  vas  summoned  dis  morning  to  appear  before  de 
council,  py  my  Lord's  order  ;  and  so,  I  thought  I  might  trive  a 
little  pusiness,  at  de  same  time,  wid  de  family." 

"  I  told  you  all,"  said  Willy,  with  an  air  of  self-importance  at 
his  own  penetration,  "  that  this  was  a  rare  doctor.  The  council 
hath  sent  for  him  !  my  Lord  hath  made  it  a  state  matter  to  see 
him.  It  isn't  every  doctor  that  comes  before  the  worshipful 
council,  I  trow.     Give  him  welcome,  boys,  doff  your  beavers." 

At  this  command  several  of  the  domestics  touched  their  hats, 
with  a  gesture  partly  in  earnest  and  partly  in  sport,  as  if  expect- 
ing some  diversion  to  follow. 

"  No  capping  to  me,  my  frents  !"  exclaimed  the  Doctor,  with 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  181 

a  bow,  greatly  pleased  at  these  tokens  of  respect ;  "  no  capping 
to  me  !  Pusiness  is  pusiness,  and  ven  I  come  to  sell  you  tings 
dat  shall  do  you  goot,  I  tank  you  for  your  custom  and  your 
money,  widout  asking  you  to  touch  your  cap." 

"There  is  sense  in  that,"  said  John  Alward  ;  "and  since  you 
come  to  trade  in  the  yard,  Doctor,  you  can  show  us  your  wares. 
There  is  a  penny  to  be  picked  up  here." 

"  Open  your  box,  Doctor  ;  bring  out  your  pennyworths  ; 
show  us  the  inside  !"  demanded  several  voices  at  once. 

"  Ha,  ha  !"  exclaimed  the  vender  of  drugs,  "  you  are  wise, 
goot  frents  ;  you  know  somewhat !  You  would  have  a  peep  at 
my  aurum  potabiles  in  dat  little  casket — my  multum  in  parvo  ? 
Yes,  you  shall  see,  and  you  shall  hear  what  you  have  never  seen 
pefore,  and  shall  not  in  your  long  lives  again." 

"  Have  you  e'er  a  good  cleansing  purge  for  a  moulting  hawk  ?" 
inquired  Derrick  Brown,  whilst  the  Doctor  was  unlocking  the  box. 

"Or  a  nostrum  that  shall  be  sure  work  on  a  horse  with  a 
farcy  ?"  asked  one  of  the  grooms. 

"  Have  you  an  elixir  that  shall  expel  a  lumbago  ?"  demanded 
John  Alwarcl :  all  three  speaking  at  the  same  instant. 

"Tib,  the  cook,"  said  a  fourth,  "has  been  so  sore  beset  with 
cramps,  that  only  this  morning  she  was  saying,  in  her  heart  she 
believed  she  would  not  stop  to  give  the  paste  buckle  that  Tom 
Oxcart  gave  her  for  a  token  at  Whitsuntide,  for  a  cordial  that 
would  touch  a  cold  stomach.  I  will  persuade  her  into  a  trade 
with  the  Doctor." 

"  Oh,  as  for  the  women,"  replied  a  fifth,  "  there  isn't  a  wench 
in  my  Lord's  service  that  hasn't  a  bad  tooth,  or  a  cold  stomach, 
or  a  tingling  in  the  ears,  or  some  such  ailing :  it  is  their  nature-  - 
they  would  swallow  the  Doctor's  pack  in  a  week,  if  they  had 
license." 

The  man  of  nostrums  was  too  much  employed  in  opening  out 


182  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

bis  c  mimodities  to  heed  the  volley  of  questions  which  were  poured 
upon  him  all  round,  but  having  now  put  himself  in  position  for 
action,  he  addressed  himself  to  his  auditors  : 

"  I  vill  answer  all  your  questions  in  goot  time  ;  but  I  must 
crave  your  leave,  frents,  to  pegin  in  de  order  of  my  pusiuess. 
Dobel,"  he  said,  turning  to  his  attendant,  who  stood  some  paces 
in  the  rear,  "come  forward  and  pegin." 

The  adjutant  at  this  command  stepped  into  the  middle  of  the 
ring,  and  after  making  several  strange  grimaces,  of  which  at  first 
view  his  countenance  would  have  been  deemed  altogether  incapa- 
ble, and  bowing  in  three  distinct  quarters  to  the  company,  com- 
menced the  following  speech  : 

"  Goot  beoplish  !" — this  was  accompanied  with  a  comic  leer 
that  set  the  whole  yard  in  a  roar — "dish  ish  de  drice  renowned 
und  ingomprbl  Doctor  Closh  Tebor" — another  grimmace,  and  an- 
other volley  of  laughter — "  what  ish  de  grand  pheseeshan  of  de 
greate  gofernor  of  New  York,  Antony  Prockolls,  und  lives  in  Al- 
pany  in  de  gofernor's  own  pallash,  wid  doo  tousand  guilders  al- 
lowed him  py  de  gofernor  everich  yeere,  und  a  goach  to  rite,  und 
a  body  cart  to  go  pefore  him  in  de  sthreets  ven  he  valks  to  take 
de  air.  All  tish  to  keepe  de  gofernor  und  his  vrouw  de  Laty 
Katerina  Prockolls  in  goot  healf — noding  else — on  mein  onor." 
This  was  said  with  great  emphasis,  the  speaker  laying  his  hand 
on  his  heart  and  making  a  bow,  accompanied  with  a  still  more 
ludicrous  grimace  than  any  he  had  yet  exhibited,  which  brought 
forth  a  still  louder  peal  from  his  auditory. 

He  was  about  to  proceed  with  his  commendatory  harangue, 
when  he  was  interrupted  by  Benedict  Leonard.  It  seems  that 
upon  the  first  announcement  by  the  Doctor  of  the  purport  of  his 
visit,  the  youth,  fearful  lest  his  mother,  who  was  constitutionally 
subject  to  alarm,  might  have  been  disturbed  by  the  trumpet,  ran 
off  to  apprise  her  of  what  he  had  just  witnessed  ;  and  giving  her 


-  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  183 

the  full  advantage  of  Willy's  exaggerated  estimate  of  the  travel- 
ling healer  of  disease,  returned,  by  the  lady's  command,  to  con 
duct  this  worthy  into  her  presence.  He  accordingly  now  deliv 
ered  his  message,  and  forthwith  master  and  man  moved  towards 
the  mansion,  with  the  whole  troop  of  the  stable  yard  at  their 
heels. 

The  itinerant  was  introduced  into  Lady  Baltimore's  presence 
in  a  small  parlor,  where  she  was  attended  by  two  little  girls,  her 
only  children  beside  the  boy  we  have  noticed,  and  the  sister  of 
the  Proprietary.  Her  pale  and  emaciated  frame  and  care-worn 
visage  disclosed  to  the  practised  glance  of  the  visitor  a  facile 
subject  for  his  delusive  art, — a  ready  votary  of  that  credulous 
experimentalism  which  has  filled  the  world  with  victims  to  med- 
ical imposture.  In  the  professor  of  medicine's  reverence  to  the 
persons  before  him  there  was  an  overstrained  obsequiousness, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  an  expression  of  imperturbable  confi- 
dence fully  according  with  the  ostentatious  pretension  which 
marked  his  demeanor  amongst  the  menials  of  the  household. 
Notwithstanding  his  broad  accent,  he  spoke  with  a  ready  fluency 
that  showed  him  well  skilled  in  that  voluble  art  by  which,  at 
that  day,  the  workers  of  wonderful  cures  and  the  possessors  of  in- 
fallible elixers  advertised  the  astonishing  virtues  of  their  com- 
pounds— an  art  which  has  in  our  time  only  changed  its  manner  of 
utterance,  and  now  announces  its  ridiculous  pretensions  in  every 
newspaper  of  every  part  of  our  land,  in  whole  columns  of  mounte- 
bank lies  and  quack  puffery." 

"This  is  the  great  Doctor,"  said  young  Benedict,  who  was 
eager  to  introduce  him,  "and  he  has  come  I  can't  tell  how  far, 
to  see  who  was  ailing  in  our  parts.  I  just  whispered  to  him, 
dear  mother,  what  a  famous  good  friend  you  were  to  all  sorts 
of  new  cures.  And  oh,  it  would  do  you  good  to  see  what  a  box 
of  crankums  he  has  in  the  hall  !     Yes,  and  a  man  to  carry  it, 


184  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

with  a  trumpet  !  Blowing  and  physicking  a  plenty  now,  to  them 
that  like  it !    How  the  man  bears  such  a  load,  I  can't  guess." 

"  Dobel  has  a  strong  back  and  a  steady  mule  for  his  occa- 
sions, my  pretty  poy,"  said  the  Doctor,  patting  the  heir  apparent 
on  the  head,  with  a  fondness  of  manner  that  sensibly  nattered  the 
mother.  "When  we  would  do  goot,  master,  we  must  not  heed 
de  trouble  to  seek  dem  dat  stand  in  need  of  our  ministrations  over 
de  world." 

The  lady's  feeble  countenance  lit  up  with  a  sickly  smile,  as 
she  remonstrated  with  the  boy.  "  Bridle  thy  tongue,  Benedict, 
nor  suffer  it  to  run  so  nimbly.  We  have  heard,  Doctor,  some- 
thing of  your  fame,  and  gladly  give  you  welcome." 

"  Noble  lady,"  replied  the  pharmacopolist,  "I  am  but  a  sim- 
ple and  poor  doctor,  wid  such  little  fame  as  it  has  pleased  Got  to 
pestow  for  mine  enteavors  to  miticate  de  distemperatures  and 
maladies  and  infirmities  which  de  fall  of  man,  in  de  days  of  Adam, 
de  august  progenitor  of  de  human  races,  has  prought  upon  all  his 
children.  And  de  great  happiness  I  have  had  to  make  many 
most  wonderful  cures  in  de  provinces  of  America,  made  me  more 
pold  to  hope  I  might  pring  some  assuagement  and  relief  to  your 
ladyship,  who,  I  have  peen'  told,  has  peen  grievously  tormented 
wid  perturbations  and  melancholies  ;  a  very  common  affection  wid 
honorable  ladies." 

"  Alack,  Doctor,  my  affections  come  from  causes  which  are 
beyond  the  reach  of  your  ar.t,"  said  the  lady  with  a  sigh.  "  Still, 
it  would  please  me  to  hear  the  cures  you  speak  of.  You  have, 
doubtless,  had  great  experience  ?" 

"  You  shall  hear,  my  lady.  I  am  not  one  of  dat  rabble  of 
pretenders  what  travel  apout  de  world  to  cry  up  and  magnify 
dere  own  praises.  De  Hemel  is  mij  getuige, — Heaven  is  my 
chudge,  and  your  ladyship's  far  renowned  excellent  wisdom  for- 
bids dat  you  should  be  imposed  upon  by  dese  cheats  and  impos 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  185 

ters  denominated — and  most  justly,  on  my  wort  ! — charlatans  and 
empirical  scaramouches.  De  veritable  merit  in  dis  world  is  hum- 
ble, my  lady.  I  creep  rader  in  de  dust,  dan  soar  in  de  clouts  :  it 
is  in  my  nature.     Oders  shall  speak  for  me — not  myself." 

"  But  you  have  seen  de  world,  Doctor,  and  studied,  and  served 
in  good  families  ?" 

"Your  ladyship  has  great  penetration.  I  have  always  lived  in 
friendship  wid  worshipful  peoples.  De  honorable  Captain  Gen- 
eral Anthony  Brockholls,  de  gofemor  of  de  great  province  of 
New  York, — hah  !  dere  was  nopody  could  please  him  but  Doctor 
Debor.  Night  and  clay,  my  lady,  for  two  years,  have  I  peen 
physicking  his  excellency  and  all  his  family  : — de  governor  is  sub- 
ject to  de  malady  of  a  pad  digestion  and  crudities  which  gives 
him  troublesome  dreams.  I  have  studied  in  de  school  of  Leyden 
■ — dree  courses,  until  I  could  find  no  more  to  learn  ;  and  den  I 
have  travelled  in  France,  Germany,  and  Italy,  where  I  took  a  seat 
in  de  great  University  of  Padua,  for  de  penefit  of  de  lectures  of 
dat  very  famous  doctor,  Veslingius,  de  prefect,  your  ladyship 
shall  understand,  and  professor  of  botany,  a  most  rare  herbalist. 
And  dere  also  I  much  increased  and  enriched  my  learning  under 
de  wing  of  dat  astonishing  man,  de  grave  and  profound  Doctor 
Athelsteinus  Leonenas,  de  expounder  of  de  great  secrets  of  de 
veins  and  nerves.  You  shall  chudge,  honorable  ladies,  what  was 
my  merit,  when  I  tell  youde  University  would  make  me  Syndicus 
Artistarum,  only  dat  I  refused  so  great  honor,  pecause  I  would 
not  make  de  envy  of  my  compeers.  Did  I  not  say  true  when  I 
tell  you  it  is  not  my  nature  to  soar  in  de  clouts  ?" 

"Truly  the  Doctor  has  greatly  slighted  his  fame,"  said  the 
Lady  Maria  apart  to  her  kinswoman.  "I  would  like  to  know 
what  you  have  in  your  pack." 

"  Worshipful  madam,  you  shall  soon  see,"  replied  the  Doctor, 
who  now  ordered  Dobel,  his  man,  into  the  room.     "  Here,"  he 


186  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

&aid,  as  he  pointed  to  the  different  parcels,  "  are  balsamums, 
penaceas,  and  elixirs.  Dis  is  a  most  noted  alexipharmacum 
against  quartan  agues,  composed  of  many  roots,  herps,  and 
spices  ;  dis  I  call  de  lampas  vitae,  an  astonishing  exhilirator 
and  promoter  of  de  goot  humors  of  de  mind,  and  most  valuable 
for  de  rare  gift  of  clear  sight  to  de  old,  wid  many  oder  virtues  I 
will  not  stop  to  mention.  Dose  are  confections,  electuaries,  sirups, 
conserves,  ointments,  odoraments,  cerates,  and  gargarisms,  for  de 
skin,  for  de  stomach,  for  de  praises  and  wounds,  for  de  troat,  and 
every  ting  pesides.  Ah  !  here,  my  lady,  is  de  great  lapor  of  my 
life,  de  felicity  and  royal  reward — as  I  may  say — of  all  my  stu- 
dies :  it  is  de  most  renowned  and  admired  and  never -to-be  esti- 
mated Medicamentum  Promethei,  which  has  done  more  penefac- 
tions  dan  all  de  oder  simples  and  compounds  in  de  whole  phar- 
macopeia of  medicine.  Your  ladyship  shall  take  but  one  half  of 
dis  little  phial,  when  you  will  say  more  for  its  praise  dan  I  could 
speak  widout  peing  accounted  a  most  windy,  hyperbolical  and 
monstrous  poastcr — ha,  waarachtig  !  I  will  speak  noting.  Dat 
wise  and  sagacious  and  sapient  man,  de  great  governor  and 
captain,  Antony  Brockholls,  has  given  me  in  my  hand  so  much 
as  five  ducatoons, — yes,  my  lady,  five  ducatoons  for  chit  little 
glass,  two  hours  after  a  dinner  of  cold  endives — Ik  spreek  a 
waarachtiglik — I  speak  you  truly,  my  lady  :  and  now  I  give  it 
away  for  de  goot  of  de  world  and  mine  own  glory,  at  no  more 
dan  one  rix  dollar, — five  shillings.     I  do  not  soar  in  de  clouts  ?" 

"  Can  you  describe  its  virtues,  Doctor  ?"  inquired  the  lady. 

"  Mine  honored  madam,  dey  are  apundant,  and  I  shall  not  lie 
if  I  say  countless  and  widout  number.  First,  it  is  a  great  enemy 
to  plack  choler,  and  to  all  de  affections  of  de  spleen,  giving  sweet 
sleep  to  de  eyelids  dat  have  peen  kept  open  py  de  cares  and  suf- 
ferings and  anxieties  of  de  world.  It  will  dispel  cle  charms  of 
witchcraft,  magic  and  sorcery,  and  turn  away  de  stroke  of  de  evil 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  187 

eye.  It  corroborates  de  stomach  py  driving  off  de  sour  humors 
of  do  pylorus,  and  cleansing  de  diaphram  from  de  oppilations 
which  fill  up  and  torpefy  de  pipes  of  de  nerves.  And  your  lady- 
ship shall  observe  dat,  as  Nature  has  supplied  and  adapted  par- 
ticular plants  and  herps  to  de  maladies  of  de  several  parts  of  de 
animal  pody,  as, — not  to  be  tedious, — aniseeds  and  calamint  for 
de  head,  hysop  and  liquorice  for  de  lungs,  borage  for  de  heart, 
betony  for  de  spleen,  and  so  on  wid  de  whole  pody — dis  wonder- 
ful medicament  contains  and  possesses  in  itself  someting  of  all, 
peing  de  great  remedy,  antidote  and  expeller  of  all  diseases, 
such  as  vertigine,  falling  sickness,  cramps,  catalepsies,  lumbagos, 
rheums,  inspissations,  agitations,  hypocondrics,  and  tremorcordies, 
whedder  dey  come  of  de  head,  de  heart,  de  liver,  de  vena  cava,  de 
mesentery  or  de  pericardium,  making  no  difference  if  dey  be  hot 
or  cold,  dry  or  moist,  or  proceeding  from  terrestrial  or  geneth- 
liacal  influences,  evil  genitures,  or  vicious  aspects  of  de  stars — it 
is  no  matter — dey  all  vanish  pefore  de  great  medicamentum. 
You  must  know,  my  lady,  dis  precious  mixture  was  de  great 
secret — de  arcanum  mirificabile — of  dat  wonderful  Arabian  phy- 
sician Hamcch,  which  Paracelsus  went  mad  wid  cudgelling  his 
prains  to  find  out  ;  and  Avicenna  and  Galen  and  Trismegistus 
and  Moderatus  Columella  all  proke  down  in  cleir  search  to  dis- 
cover de  meaning  of  de  learned  worts  in  which  Hamech  wrote  de 
signification.  De  great  Svvainmerdam,  hoch  !  what  would  he  not 
give  Doctor  Debor  for  dat  secret !  -  I  got  it,  my  lady,  from  a 
learned  Egyptian  doctor,  who  took  it  from  an  eremite  of  Arabia 
Felix.  It  was  not  my  merit,  so  much  as  my  goot  fortune.  I  am 
humble,  my  lady,  and  do  not  poast,  but  speak  op't  woord  van  een 
eerlyk  man." 

"  He  discourses  beyond  our  depth,"  said  Lady  Baltimore, 
greatly  puzzled  to  keep  pace  with  the  learned  pretensions  of  the 
quack  ;  "  and  yet  I  dare  say  there  is  virtue  in  these  medicines 


188  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

What  call  you  your  great  compound,  Doctor  ?     I  have  forgotten 
its  name." 

"  De  Medicamentum  Promethei,"  replied  the  owner  of  this 
wonderful  treasure,  pleased  with  the  interest  taken  in  his  dis- 
course. "  Your  ladyship  will  comprehend  from  your  reading 
learned  pooks,  dat  Prometheus  was  a  great  headen  god,  what 
stole  de  fire  from  Heaven,  whereby  he  was  able  to  vivicate  and 
reluminate  de  decayed  and  worn-out  podies  of  de  human  families, 
and  in  a  manner  even  to  give  life  to  de  images  of  clay  ;  which  is 
all,  as  your  good  ladyship  discerns,  a  fabulous  narration,  or  preg- 
nant fable,  as  de  scholars  insinuate.  And,  moreover,  de  poets 
and  philoshphers  say  dat  same  headen  god  was  very  learned  in 
de  knowledge  of  de  virtues  of  plants  and  herps,  which  your  lady- 
ship will  remark  is  de  very  consistence  and  identification  of  de 
noble  art  of  pharmacy.  Well,  den,  dis  Prometheus,  my  lady — 
ha,  ha  ! — was  some  little  bit  of  a  juggler,  and  was  very  fond  of 
playing  his  legerdemains  wid  de  gods,  till  one  day  de  great 
Jupiter,  peing  angry  wid  his  jocularities  and  his  tricks,  caused 
him  to  be  chained  to  a  rock,  wid  a  hungry  vulture  always  gnaw- 
ing his  liver  ;  and  dere  he  was  in  dis  great  misery,  till  his  pody 
pined  away  so  small  dat  his  chain  would  not  hold  him,  and  den, 
aha! 'he  showed  Jupiter  a  goot  pair  of  heels,  like  an  honest 
fellow,  and  set  apout  to  find  de  medicines  what  should  renovate 
and  patch  up  his  liver,  which  you  may  be  sure  he  did,  my  lady, 
in  a  very  little  while.  Dis  again  is  anoder  fable,  to  signify  dat  he 
was  troubled  wicl  a  great  sickness  in  dat  part  of  his  pody.  Now, 
my  lady,  see  how  well  de  name  significates  de  great  virtues  of  my 
medicament,  which,  in  de  first  place,  is  a  miraculous  restorer  of 
health  and  vigor  and  life  to  de  feeble  spirits  of  de  pody  :  dere's 
de  fire.  Second,  it  is  composed  of  more  dan  one  hundred  plants, 
roots,  and  seeds,  most  delicately  distilled,  sublimed  and  suffnmi- 
gatecl  in  a  limbeck  of  pure  virgin  silver,  and  according  to  de  most 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  189 

subtle  projections  of  alchemy  ;  and  dere  your  ladyship  shall  see 
de  knowledge  of  de  virtues  of  plants  and  de  most  consummate 
art  of  de  concoctions.  And  now  for  de  last  significance  of  de 
fable  :  clis  medicament  is  a  specific  of  de  highest  exaltation  for 
de  cure,  which  never  fails,  of  all  distemperatures  of  de  liver  ;  not 
to  say  dat  it  is  less  potent  to  overcome  and  destroy  all  de  oder 
diseases  I  have  mentioned,  and  many  more.  Dere  you  see  de 
whole  Medicamentum  Promethei,  which  I  sell  to  worshipful 
peoples  for  one  rix  dollar  de  vial.  Is  it  not  well  named,  my 
lady,  and  superlative  cheap  ?  I  give  it  away  :  de  projection 
alone  costs  me  more  dan  I  ask  for  de  compound." 

"  The  name  is  curiously  made  out,"  said  the  lady,  "  and 
worthily,  if  the  virtue  of  the  compound  answer  the  description. 
But  your  cures,  you  have  not  yet  touched  upon  them.  I  long  to 
hear  what  notable  feats  you  have  accomplished  in  that  sort." 

"  My  man  Dobel  shall  speak,"  replied  the  professor.  "  De 
great  Heaven  forpid  I  should  pe  a  poaster  to  de  ears  of  such 
honorable  ladies  !  Dobel,  rehearse  cle  great  penefaction  of  de 
medicament  upon  de  excellent  and  discreet  and  virtuous  vrouw 
of  Governor  Brockholls — Spreek  op  eene  verstaanbare  wijze  !" 

"  Hier  ben  ik,"  answered  Dobel  to  his  summons,  stepping  at 
the  same  time  into  the  middle  of  the  room  and  erecting  his  person 
as  stiffly  as  a  grenadier  on  parade  :  "  Goot  beoplish  !  dish  ish 
de  drice  renowned  und  ingomprbl  Doctor  Closh  Tebor " 

"  Stop,  stop,  hou  stil  !  halt — volslag°m  gek  !"  exclaimed  the 
Doctor,  horrified  at  the  nature  of  the  harangue  his  stupid  servi- 
tor had  commenced,  and  which  for  a  moment  threatened  to  con- 
tinue, in  spite  of  the  violent  remonstrance  of  the  master,  Dobel 
persevering  like  a  thing  spoken  from  rather  than  a  thing  that 
speaks—"  Fool,  jack-pudding  !  you  pelieve  yourself  on  a  bank, 
up  on  a  stage  before  cle  rabble  rout  ?  You  would  disgrace  me 
before  honorable  and  noble  ladies,  wid  your  tavern  howlings,  and 


190 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 


your  parkings  and  your  pellowings  !  Out  of  de  door,  pegone  !" 
The  imperturbable  and  stolid  trumpeter,  having  thus  unfor- 
tunately incurred  his  patron's  ire,  slunk  from  the  parlor,  utterly 
at  a  loss  to  comprehend  wherein  he  had  offended.  The  Doctor 
in  the  meanwhile,  overwhelmed  with  confusion  and  mortified 
vanity,  bustled  towards  the  door  and  there  continued  to  vent 
imprecations  upon  the  unconscious  Dobel,  which,  as  they  were 
uttered  in  Low  Dutch,  were  altogether  incomprehensible  to  the 
company,  but  at  the  same  time  were  sufficiently  ludicrous  to  pro- 
duce a  hearty  laugh  from  the  Lady  Maria,  and  even  to  excite  a 
partial  show  of  merriment  in  her  companion.  Fortunately  for 
the  Doctor,  in  the  midst  of  his  embarrassment,  a  messenger 
arrived  to  inform  him  that  his  presence  was  required  before  the 
council,  in  another  part  of  the  house,  which  order,  although  it 
deprived  the  ladies  of  the  present  opportunity  of  learning  the 
great  efficacy  of  the  Medicamentum  Promethei  in  the  case  of  the 
wife  of  Governor  Brockholls,  gave  the  Doctor  a  chance  of  recov- 
ering his  self-possession  by  a  retreat  from  the  apartment.  So, 
after  an  earnest  entreaty  to  be  forgiven  for  the  inexpert  address 
of  his  man,  and  a  promise  to  resume  his  discourse  on  a  future 
occasion,  he  betook  himself,  under  the  guidance  of  the  messenger, 
to  the  chamber  in  which  the  council  were  convened. 

Here  sat  the  Proprietary,  and  Philip  Calvert,  the  Chancellor, 
who  were  now,  with  five  or  six  other  gentlemen,  engaged  in  the 
transaction  of  business  of  grave  import. 

Some  depredations  had  been  recently  committed  upon  the 
English  by  the  Indians  inhabiting  the  upper  regions  of  the 
Susquehanna, — especially  by  the  Siuniquoes,  who,  in  an  incursion 
against  the  Piscattaways,  a  friendly  tribe  in  the  vicinity  of  St. 
Mary's,  had  advanced  into  the  low  country,  where  they  had  plun- 
dered the  dwellings  of  the  settlers  and  even  murdered  two  or 
three  families.     The  victims  of  these  outrages  happened  to  be 


ROB. OF    THE     BOWL.  191 

Protestants,  and  Fendall's  party  availed  themselves  of  the  cir- 
cumstance, to  excite  the  popular  jealousy  against  Lord  Baltimore 
by  circulating  the  report  that  these  murders  were  committed  by 
Papists  in  disguise. 

What  was  therefore  but  an  ordinary  though  frightful  incident 
of  Indian  hostility,  was  thus  exaggerated  into  a  crime  of  deep 
malignity,  peculiarly  calculated  still  more  to  embitter  the  party 
exasperations  of  the  day.  This  consideration  rendered  it  a  sub- 
ject of  eager  anxiety,  on  the  part  of  the  council,  to  procure  the 
fullest  evidence  of  the  hostile  designs  of  the  Indians,  and  thus  not 
only  to  enable  the  province  to  adopt  the  proper  measure  for  its 
own  safety,  but  also  confute  the  false  report  which  had  imputed 
to  the  Catholics  so  absurd  and  atrocious  a  design.  A  traveller, 
by  the  name  of  Launcelot  Sakel,  happened,  but  two  or  three 
days  before  the  present  meeting  of  the  council,  to  arrive  at 
the  port,  where  he  put  afloat  the  story  of  an  intended  invasion 
of  the  province  by  certain  Indians  of  New  York,  belonging  to 
the  tribes  of  the  Five  Nations,  and  gave  as  his  authority  for  this 
piece  of  news  a  Dutch  doctor,  whom  he  had  fallen  in  with  on 
the  Delaware,  where  he  left  him  selling  nostrums,  and  who,  he 
affirmed,  was  in  a  short  space  to  appear  at  St.  Mary's.  This 
story,  with  many  particulars,  was  communicated  to  the  Proprie- 
tary, which  induced  the  order  to  summon  the  doctor  to  attend 
the  council  as  soon  after  his  arrival  as  possible.  In  obedience  to 
this  summons,  our  worthy  was  now  in  the  presence  of  the  high 
powers  of  the  province,  not  a  little  elated  with  the  personal  con- 
sequence attached  to  his  coming,  as  well  as  the  very  favorable 
reception  he  had  obtained  from  the  ladies  of  the  household. 
This  consequence  was  even  enhanced  by  the  suite  of  inquisitive 
domestics,  who  followed,  at  a  respectful  distance,  his  movements 
towards  the  council  chamber,  and  who,  even  there,  though  not 
venturing  to  enter,  were  gathered  into  a  group  which  from  the 


192  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

outside  of  the  door  commanded  a  view  of  the  party  within  :  in 
the  midst  of  these  Willy  of  the  Flats  was  by  no  means  an 
unconspicuous  personage. 

Lord  Baltimore  received  the  itinerant  physician  with  that 
bland  and  benignant  accost  which  was  habitual  to  him,  and  pro- 
ceeded with  brief  ceremony  to  interrogate  him  as  to  the  purport 
of  his  visit.  The  answers  were  given  with  a  solemn  self-com- 
placency, not  unmixed  with  that  shrewdness  which  was  an  essen- 
tial attribute  to  the  success  of  the  ancient  quack-salver.  He 
described  himself  as  Doctor  Claus  Debor,  a  native  of  Holland,  a 
man  of  travel,  enjoying  no  mean  renown  in  New  York,  and,  for 
two  years  past,  a  resident  of  Albany.  His  chief  design  in  his 
present  journey,  he  represented  to  be  to  disseminate  the  blessings 
of  his  great  medicament  ;  whereupon  he  was  about  to  launch 
forth  into  an  exuberant  tone  of  panegyric,  and  had,  in  fact, 
already  produced  a  smile  at  the  council  board  by  some  high 
wrought  phrases  expressive  of  his  incredible  labor  in  the  quest  of 
his  great  secret,  when  the  Proprietary  checked  his  career  by  a 
timely  admonition. 

"  Ay,  we  do  not  seek  to  know  thy  merits  as  a  physician,  nor 
doubt  the  great  virtue  of  thy  drugs,  worthy  Doctor  ;  but  in 
regard  thereto,  give  you  free  permission  to  make  what  profit  of 
them  you  reasonably  may  in  the  province.  Still,  touching  this 
license,  I  must  entreat  you,  in  consideration  that  my  Lady  Balti- 
more has  weak  nerves,  and  cannot  endure  rude  noises,  to  refrain 
from  blowing  your  trumpet  within  hearing  of  this  mansion  : 
besides,  our  people,"  he  added,  looking  archly  towards  the  group 
of  domestics,  some  of  whom  had  now  edged  into  the  apartment, 
"  are  somewhat  faint-hearted  at  such  martial  sounds." 

"  By  my  hand  !"  said  Willy,  in  a  half  whisper  to  his  com- 
panions in  the  entry  ;  "  My  Lord  has  put  it  to  him  for  want  of 
manners  1 — I  thought  as  much  would  come  from  his  tantararas. 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  193 

Listen,  you  shall  hear  more  anon.     Whist  !• — the  Doctor  puts  on 
a  face — and  will  have  his  say,  in  turn." 

"  Your  very  goot  and  admirable  Lordship  mistranslates  de 
significance  of  my  visit,"  said  the  Doctor,  in  his  ambitious  phrase; 
"  for  although  I  most  heartily  tank  your  Lordship's  bounty  for  de 
permission  to  sell  my  inestimable  medicament,  and  which — Got 
geve  het — I  do  hope  shall  much  advantage  my  lady  wid  her  weak 
nerfs  and  her  ailments, — still,  I  come  to  opey  your  most  honorable 
Lordship's  summons,  which  I  make  pold  to  pelieve  is  concerned 
wid  state  matters  pefore  de  high  and  noble  council." 

"Well,  and  bravely  spoken,"  said  Willy  ;  "and  with  a  good 
face  ! — the  Doctor  holds  his  own,  masters." 

"  We  would  hear  what  you  can  tell  touching  a  rumor  brought 
to  us  by  one  Master  Launcelot  Sakel,  whom  you  saw  at  Christian 
Fort,"  said  the  Proprietary. 

"There  is  the  point  of  the  matter,"  whispered  Willy,  "all  in 
an  egg  shell." 

"  Dere  is  weighty  news,  my  Lord,"  replied  the  Doctor.  "I 
have  goot  reason  to  pelieve  dat  de  Nordern  Indians  of  New  York 
are  meditating  and  concocting  mischief  against  your  Lordship's 
province." 

"  Have  a  care  to  the  truth  of  your  report,"  said  Colonel  Tal- 
bot, rising  from  his  seat :  "it  may  be  worse  for  you  if  you  be 
found  to  trifle  with  us  by  passing  current  a  counterfeit  story, 
churned  into  consistence  in  your  own  brain,  out  of  the  froth  of 
idle,  way-side  gossipings.  We  have  a  statute  against  the  spread- 
ers of  false  news." 

"  Heigh,  heigh  ! — listen  to  that,"  said  Willy,  nudging  one  of 

the  crowd  over  whose  shoulders  he  was  peering  into  the  room. 

"  There's  an  outcome  with  a  witness  ! — there's  a  flanconade  that 

shall  make  the  Doctor  flutter  !" 

"  If  I  am  mendacious,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  dat  is,  if  I  am 
9 


194  KOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

forgetful  of  mine  respect  for  trute,  clese  honorable  gentlemens 
shall  teal  wid  me  as  a  lying  pusy  pody  and  pragmatical  tale- 
bearer. Your  Lordship  shall  hear.  It  is  put  a  fortnight  ago, 
when  I  was  making  ready  for  dis  journey,  in  Alpany,  I  chanced 
to  see  in  de  town  so  many  as  two  score,  perhaps  fifty  Indians 
who  were  dere  trading  skins  for  powder  and  shot.  Dey  reported 
demselves  to  be  Sinniquoes,  and  said  dey  came  to  talk  wid  de 
tribes  furder  back,  to  get  their  help  to  fight  against  de  Piscatta- 
ways." 

"Indeed? — there  is  probability  in  that  report,"  said  the 
Proprietary  :  "  well,  and  how  had  they  sped  ?  what  was  their 
success  ?" 

"  Some  of  de  Five  Nations, — I  forget  de  name  of  de  tribe, 
my  Lord — it  might  pe  de  Oneidas — dey  told  us,  promised  to 
march  early  de  next  season  ;  in  dere  own  worts,  when  de  sap  pe- 
gin  to  rise." 

"In  what  force,  did  they  say  ?" 

"  In  large  force,  my  Lord.  De  Piscattaways,  dey  said,  were 
frents  to  my  Lord  and  de  English, — and  so  dey  should  make  cleau 
work  wid  red  and  white." 

"  What  more  ?" 

"  Dey  signified  dat  dey  should  have  great  help  from  de  Dela- 
wares  and  Susquehannocks,  who,  as  I  could  make  it  out,  wanted 
to  go  to  war  wid  your  Lordship's  peoples  at  once." 

"  True  ;  and  they  have  done  so.  The  insolencies  of  these 
tribes  are  already  as  much  as  we  can  endure  Did  they  find  it 
easy  to  purchase  their  powder  and  lead  in  Albany  ?  I  should 
hope  that  traffic  would  not  be  allowed." 

"  My  Lord,  de  traders  do  not  much  stop,  when  dey  would  turn 
a  penny,  to  reckon  who  shall  get  de  loss,  so  dey  get  de  profit. 
Dese  same  Indians  I  saw  afterwards  in  de  town  of  New  York, 
trading  in  de  same  way  wid  Master  Grimes,  a  merchant." 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  195 

"  Mischief  will  come  of  this,"  said  the  Proprietary,  "  unless  it. 
be  speedily  taken  in  hand.  What  reason  was  given  by  the  North- 
ern Indians  for  joining  in  this  scheme  ?" 

"I  tink  it  was  said,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  dat  your  Lordship 
had  not  made  your  treaties  wid  dem,  nor  sent  dem  presents,  dese 
two  years  past." 

"  True,"  interposed  the  Chancellor  ;  "  we  ha^e  failed  in  that 
— although  I  have  more  than  once  reminded  your  Lordship  of  its 
necessity." 

"It  shall  not  be  longer  delayed,"  replied  the  Proprietary. 
"  You  are  sure,  Doctor  Debor,  these  were  Sinniquoes  you  saw  ?" 

"  I  only  know  dem  by  dere  own  report — I  never  heard  de 
name  pefpre.  My  man  Dobel  heard  dem  as  well  as  me  ;  wid 
your  Lordship's  permission  I  shall  ask  him,"  said  the  Doctor,  as 
he  went  to  the  door  and  directed  some  of  the  domestics  to  call 
the  man  Dobel. 

It  happened  that  Dobel,  after  his  disgrace,  had  kept  apart 
from  the  servants  of  the  household,  and  was  now  lamenting  his 
misfortune  in  a  voluntary  exile  on  the  green  at  the  front  door, 
where  Willy  of  the  Flats  having  hastened  to  seek  him,  gave  him 
the  order  to  appear  before  the  council. 

"Dobel,  you  are  a  made  man,"  he  said  by  way  of  encourage- 
ment ;  "  your  master  wants  you  to  speak  to  their  honors  :  and 
the  honorable  council  want  to  hear  you,  Dobel  ;  and  so  does  his 
Lordship.  Hold  up  your  head,  Dobel,  and  speak  for  your  man- 
hood— boldly  and  out,  like  a  buckler  man." 

"  Ya,  ya,"  replied  Dobel,  whose  acquirements  in  the  English 
tongue  were  limited  to  his  professional  advertisement  of  Doctor 
Debor's  fame,  and  a  few  slender  fragments  of  phrases  in  common 
use.  Thus  admonished  by  Willy,  he  proceeded  doggedly  to  the 
council  chamber,  where  as  soon  as  he  entered,  the  Proprietary 
made  a  motion  to  him  with  his  hand  to  approach  the  table, — 


196  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

which  Dobel  interpreting  into  an  order  to  deliver  his  sentiments, 
he  forthwith  began  in  a  loud  voice — 

"  Goot  bcoplish  !  dish  is  de  drice  renowned  und  ingomprbl 
Doctor " 

Before  he  had  uttered  the  name,  the  Doctor's  hand  was  thrust 
across  DobePs  mouth,  and  a  volley  of  Dutch  oaths  rapped  into  his 
ears,  at  a  rate  which  utterly  confounded  the  poor  trumpeter,  who 
was  forcibly  expelled  from  the  room,  almost  by  a  general  order. 
When  quiet  was  restored, — for  it  may  be  imagined  the  scene  was 
not  barren  of  laughter, — the  Doctor  made  a  thousand  apologies 
for  the  stupidity  of  his  servant,  and  in  clue  time  received  permis- 
sion to  retire,  having  delivered  all  that  he  was  able  to  say  touch- 
ing the  matter  in  agitation  before  the  Proprietary. 

The  council  were  for  some  time  after  this  incident  engaged  in 
the  consideration  of  the  conspiracy  against  the  Proprietary,  of 
which  new  evidences  were  every  day  coming  to  light  ;  and  it  was 
now  resolved  that  the  matter  should  be  brought  unto  the  notice 
of  the  judicial  authority  at  an  early  day. 

The  only  circumstance  which  I  have  further  occasion  to  notice, 
'related  to  a  diversion  which  was  not  unusual  at  that  day  amongst 
the  inhabitants  of  the  province,  and  which  required  the  permission 
of  the  council.     It  was  brought  into  debate  by  Colonel  Talbot. 

"Stark  Whittle,  the  swordsman."  he  said,  "has  challenged 
Sergeant  Travers  to  play  a  prize  at  such  weapons  as  they  may 
select — and  the  Sergeant  accepts  the  challenge,  provided  it  meet 
the  pleasure  of  his  Lordship  and  the  council.  I  promised  to  be 
a  patron  to  the  play." 

"It  shall  be  as  you  choose,"  said  the  Proprietary.  "This 
martial  sport  has  won  favor  with  our  people.  Let  it  be  so 
ordered  that  it  shall  not  tend  to  the  breach  of  the  peace.  We 
commit  it  to  your  hands,  Colonel  Talbot."  The  council  assented, 
and  the  necessary  order  was  recorded  on  the  journal. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


Some  do  call  me  Jack,  sweetheart, 

And  some  do  call  me  Jille : 
But  when  I  come  to  the  king's  faire  courte, 

They  call  me  Wilfulle  Wille. 

The  Knight  and  Shepherd's  Daughter. 


The  skipper's  necessary  affairs  in  the  port  engaged  him  all  the 
day  succeeding  that  of  his  interview  with  Father  Pierre,  ind 
therefore  prevented  him  from  making  his  intended  visit  to  the 
Cripple  of  St.  Jerome's.  When  the  next  morning  broke  upon 
him,  the  early  bell  of  St.  Mary's  Chapel  informed  him  of  the 
Sabbath, — a  day  seldom  distinguished  in  his  calendar  from  the 
rest  of  the  week.  It  was,  however,  not  unheeded  now,  as  it 
suggested  the  thought  that  an  opportunity  might  be  afforded 
him  to  gain  a  sight  of  Blanche  Warden — and  even,  perchance, 
an  interview — at  the  service  of  the  Chapel.  In  this  hope  he  at 
once  relinquished  his  design  of  going  to  St.  Jerome's,  at  least 
until  after  the  morning  offices  of  the  church  were  performed. 
Accordingly,  at  an  hour  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  general 
attendance  of  the  congregation,  the  skipper  was  seen  loitering  in 
the  purlieus  of  the  Chapel,  where  he  marked  with  an  inquisitive 
but  cautious  watchfulness  the  various  groups  that  were  coming 
to  their  devotions.  When  at  length  his  strained  vision  was  able 
to  descry  a  cavalcade  approaching  from  the  direction  of  St. 
Inigoe's,  and  he  discerned  the  figures  of  Albert  Verheyden  and 


198  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

Blanche  Warden  dallying  far  in  the  rear  of  the  Collector  and  big 
daughter  Alice,  their  horses  almost  at  a  walk,  and  themselves 
manifestly  engrossed  in  an  earnest  conference,  he  turned  hastily 
towards  the  church,  and  with  a  compressed  lip  and  knitted  brow 
ascended  the  stair  and  threw  himself  into  an  obscure  corner  of 
the  little  gallery  which  looked  upon  the  altar.  Here  he  remained 
a  sullen  and  concealed  observer  of  the  rites  of  the  temple, — his 
bosom  rankling  with  uncharitable  thoughts,  and  his  countenance 
clouded  with  feelings  the  most  ungenial  to  the  lowly  self- 
abasement  and  contrition  of  heart  which  breathed  in  every  word 
of  the  solemn  ritual  that  addressed  his  ear. 

The  Collector's  family  entered  the  place  of  worship.  The 
Secretary  still  accompanied  Blanche,  knelt  beside  her  in  prayer, 
opened  her  missal  to  the  various  services  of  the  clay,  and  tendered 
the  customary  offices  of  familiar  gallantry  common  to  such  an 
occasion,  with  an  unrebuked  freedom  :  all  this  in  the  view  of  the 
skipper,  whose  eye  flashed  with  a  vengeful  fire,  as  he  gazed  upon 
the  man  to  whom  .he  attributed  the  wrong  he  deemed  himself  to 
have  suffered  in  his  recent  interview  with  the  maiden.  The  ser- 
vice ended  and  the  throng  was  retiring,  when  Cocklescraft  planted 
himself  on  the  outside  of  the  door.  His  purpose  was  to  exchange 
even  but  a  word  with  the  daughter  of  the  Collector — at  least  to 
win  a  recognition  of  his  presence  by  a  smile,  a  nod,  the  smallest 
courtesy, — so  dear  to  the  heart  of  a  lover.  She  came  at  last, 
loiteringly  with  Father  Pierre  and  Albert  Yerheyden.  Perhaps 
she  did  not  see  Cocklescraft  in  the  shade  of  the  big  elm,  even 
although  her  father's  weaker  sight  had  recognized  him,  and  the 
old  man  had  stepped  aside  to  shake  his  hand.  She  passed  on  to 
her  horse  without  once  turning  her  head  towards  him.  The 
skipper  abruptly  sprang  from  the  Collector  to  help  her  into  her 
saddle,  but  Blanche  had  already  Albert's  hand,  and  in  a  moment 
was  in  her  seat.     Cocklescraft's  proffered  service  was  ackuow- 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  199 

lodged  by  a  bow  and  only  a  casual  word.  The  Secretary  in  an 
instant  mounted  his  steed,  and,  with  the  maiden,  set  forth  on 
their  ride  at  a  brisk  gallop.  The  Brother  of  the  Coast,  forgetful 
of  his  usual  circumspection,  stood  with  folded  arms  and  moody 
visage,  looking  darkly  upon  them  as  they  disappeared,  and  mut- 
tering half-audible  ejaculations  of  wrath.  He  was,  after  an 
interval,  roused  from  his  abstraction  by  the  hand  of  Father 
Pierre  gently  laid  upon  his  shoulder  : 

"You  have  forgotten  the  censer  of  virgin  silver  you  promised 
to  offer  at  this  shrine,"  said  the  priest  in  a  grave  voice.  "  It  was 
to  be  an  offering  for  the  sin  of  a  wayward  spirit  of  anger.  Be- 
ware, son,  that  thou  dost  no  wrong  to  a  brother." 

"  I  have  not  forgotten  the  censer,  holy  Father,"  returned  the 
skipper,  with  an  ineffectual  effort  to. assume  his  usual  equanimity. 
"  I  have  only  deferred  the  offering — until  I  may  give  it,"  he  added 
in  a  stern  voice,  "  with  an  honest  conscience.  You  shall  have  it 
anon.  I  have  business  now  that- stands  in  the  way  : — good  morn- 
ing to  you,  Father."  And  with  these  words  he  walked  rapidly 
away. 

In  the  afternoon  Cocklescraft  was  seen  plying  his  way  from 
the  quay  in  a  small  boat,  attended  by  two  seamen  who  rowed 
him  to  a  point  some  five  or  six  miles  below  the  town,  where  he 
landed,  and  set  out  on  foot  for  St.  Jerome's. 

On  the  following  morning,  whilst  the  dawn  yet  cast  its  gray 
hue  over  the  face  of  the  land,  two  men,  in  shaggy  frize  dresses, 
arrived  at  the  hut  of  The  Cripple.  They  rode  on  rough,  little 
beach-ponies,  each  provided  with  a  sack.  The  mastiff  bitch  eyed 
the  visitors  with  a  malign  aspect  from  her  station  beneath  the 
door  sill,  and  by  her  low  mutterings  warned  them  against  a  too 
near  approach.     They  accordingly  stood  at  bay. 

"  Curse  on  the  slut  !"  said  one  ;  "  she  has  the  eye  of  a  very 
devil ; — it  might  not  be  safe  to  defy  her.     Not  a  mouse  is  stir- 


200  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

ring  ; — the  old  Trencherman  is  as  still  as  his  bowl.  Were  it 
safe,  think  you,  to  wake  him  ?" 

"  Why  not  ?"  demanded  the  other.  "  He  will  be  in  a  passion 
and  threaten,  at  first,  with  his  weapon  ; — but  when  he  knows  we 
come  to  trade  with  him,  I  will  warrant  he  butters  his  wrinkles  as 
smoothly  with  a  smile  as  you  could  desire.  Strike  your  staff, 
Mchol,  against  the  door." 

"  The  fiend  fetch  me,  if  I  venture  so  near  as  to  strike,  with 
that  bitch  at  the  step.     Try  it  yourself,  Perry  Cadger." 

"  Nay,  and  it  comes  to  that,  I  will  rouse  him  in  another 
fashion,"  said  the  other. 

"  Master  Swale— Master  Robert  Swale — Halloo — halloo  !" 

"  Rob,  man,  awake, — turn  out  for  friends  !"  exclaimed  the 
first.  The  growl  of  the  mastiff  bitch  was  now  changed  into  a 
hoarse  bark.  Some  stir  was  heard  from  the  inside  of  the  hut, 
and,  in  a  moment  afterwards,  the  door  was  unbolted  and  brought 
sufficiently  open  to  allow  the  uncouth  head  and  half  dressed  figure 
of  The  Cripple  to  be  seen.  A  short  blunderbuss  was  levelled 
directly  in  the  face  of  the  visitors,  whilst  an  ungracious  repulse 
was  screamed  out  in  a  voice  husky  with  rage. 

"  Begone,  you  misbegotten  thieves  !  What  makes  you  here  ? 
Do  you  think  I  am  an  ale  draper  to  take  in  every  strolling  runa- 
gate of  the  night.  Begone,  or  I  will  baptize  you  with  a  sprin- 
kling of  lead  !" 

"  I  beseech  you,  Robert  Swale,"  exclaimed  the  first  speaker, 
"  turn  your  weapon  aslant !  You  may  do  a  deed  of  mischief 
upon  your  friends.  We  are  Nichol  Upstake,  and  Peregrine 
Cadger — -friends,  Rob, — friends,  who  have  come  to  drive  bar- 
gains to  your  profit.  Open  your  eyes,  Master — put  on  your 
glasses — -we  have  gold  in  pocket,  man." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !"  chuckled  the  tenant  of  the  hut  ;  "  thou  art 
astir,  cronies  !     Ha,  ha  !     I  took  ye  for  land  loupers—  sharks. 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  201 

By  the  Five  Wounds,  I  knew  ye  not  !  Have  patience  a  space 
and  I  will  open." 

When  The  Cripple  had  dressed  himself  he  came  swinging  forth 
in  his  bowl,  and  passing  beyond  the  curtilage  of  his  dwelling  went 
to  the  beach,  whither  he  was  followed  by  his  two  visitors,  who 
had  now  dismounted  from  their  ponies.  Here  he  halted,  and 
taking  off  his  cap,  exposed  his  bare  head  and  loose  white  tresses 
to  the  morning  breeze  which  came  somewhat  sharply  from  the 
water. 

"  Soh  !"  he  exclaimed,  "  there  is  refreshment  in  that  !  It  is 
my  custom  to  expel  these  night-cap  vapors  with  the  good  salt 
water  breeze  :  that  is  a  commodity  that  may  reach  the  province 
without  paying  duty  to  his  Lordship  !  a  cheap  physic,  masters. 
Now  what  scent  are  you  upon,  Nichol  Upstake  ?  Perry  Cadger, 
man  of  sarsnet  and  grogram,  I  guess  your  errand." 

"  In  truth,  Robert  Swale,"  said  Upstake 

"  No  Robert  Swale,  nor  Master  Robert  Swale,"  testily  inter- 
rupted the  owner  of  the  cabin  ;  "  none  of  your  worshipful  phrase 
for  me  !  You  are  but  a  shallow  hypocrite  to  affect  this  rever- 
ence. Rob  of  the  Bowl  is  the  best  I  get  from  you  when  your 
longings  are  satisfied  ;  ay,  and  it  is  said  with  a  curl  of  your  lip  ; 
and  you  make  merry  over  my  unworthiness  with  your  pot-fellows. 
So,  be  honest,  and  give  me  plain  Rob  ;  I  seek  no  flattery." 

"  You  do  us  wrong,  good  Master  Rob,"  interposed  Peregrine 
Cadger 

"  To  your  needs,"  said  Rob,  sternly  :  "  speak  in  the  way  of 
your  trade  !     You  have  no  voice,  nor  I  ear,  for  aught  else." 

"Then,  in  brief,"  said  Nichol  Upstake,  "I  would  know  if 
you  could  supply  me  with  Antigua  to-day,  or  aqua  vitae,  I  care 
not  which  ?" 

"  If  such  a  thing  might  be,  where  would  you  take  it,  Nichol  ?,: 
inquired  Rob. 


202  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL, 

"  To  Warrington  on  the  Cliffs." 

"  Ay,  to  Warrington  on  the  Cliffs  ;  good  ! — and  warily  to  be 
borne  ?  no  hawk's  eye  upon  your  path  ?" 

"  It  shall  be  by  night,  if  you  like  it,"  said  the  dealer. 

"Well,  well  !"  replied  The  Cripple  ;  "  I  can  give  you  a  little 
of  both,  master  :  a  flagon  or  so  ;  some  three  or  four.  My  hut  is 
small,  and  has  a  scant  cellar.  But  the  money  in  hand,  Xichol 
TJpstake  !  Good  gold — full  weight — and  a  fair  price,  too,  mark 
you  !  I  must  have  a  trifle  above  my  last  market — ten  shillings 
the  gallon  on  the  brandy,  and  two  more  for  the  Antigua.  Leave 
your  kegs,  and  see  me  again  at  sunset.  The  money  in  hand  !  the 
money  in  hand  !  there  is  no  trust  in  my  commonwealth." 

"  It  shall  be  so,"  said  Nichol. 

"  And  now,  Master  Cadger,  what  wilt  ?  You  have  a  scheme 
to  cozen  dame  and  wench  with  gewgaws  ;  I  see  it  in  your  eye  : 
and  you  will  swear  upon  book  and  cross,  if  need  be,  they  have 
stood  you  a  wondrous  hard  purchase,  even  at  the  full  three  hun- 
dred per  cent,  excess  you  purpose  to  exact  above  the  cost  ;  and 
all  the  while  it  has  come  out  of  Rob's  warehouse  as  cheap  as 
beggars'  alms  :  ha,  ha,  ha  !  This  world  thrives  on  honesty  !  it 
grows  fat  on  virtue  !  knavery  only  starves.  Your  rogue  in  rags, 
what  has  he  but  his  deserts  ?  Let  him  repent  and  turn  virtuous, 
like  you  and  me,  Perry,  and  his  torn  cloak  and  threadbare  dou- 
blet shall  be  fenced  and  lined  to  defy  all  weathers.  Hark  you, 
master,  I  have  camblets,  satins,  and  velvets,  cambric,  and  lawn — ■ 
choice  commodities  all.     You  shall  see  them  in  the  hut." 

"  How  came  you  by  so  rich  an  inventory,  Rob  ?" 

The  Cripple  turned  a  fierce  eye  upon  the  mercer,  and  with 
one  glance  conveyed  his  meaning,  as  he  touched  the  handle  of  his 
dagger  and  said  in  a  low  tone, 

"  Do  you  forget  the  covenant  between  us  ?  Peregrine  Cadger, 
you  know  I  brook  no  such  question." 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  203 

The  mercer  stood  for  a  moment  abashed,  and  then  replied  : 
"  An  idle  word,  Master  Rob,  which  meant  no  harm  :  as  yoii 
say,  honesty  will  only  thrive.  You  shall  find  never  a  knave 
that  is  not  some  part  fool.  I  will  into  the  hut  to  look  at  the 
wares." 

"  Do  so,"  said  The  Cripple.  "  You  will  find  them  in  the  box- 
behind  the  door.  There  is  need  that  you  leave  me,  so  follow  him, 
Nichol.  I  have  sudden  business,  masters,  which  it  does  not  con- 
cern you  to  witness.  When  you  have  seen  what  you  desire,  de- 
part quickly;  leave  your  sacks  and  come  back  at  sunset.  I  charge 
you,  have  a  care  that  your  eyes  do  not  wander  towards  my  mo- 
tions. You  know  me,  and  know  that  I  have  sentinels  upon  your 
steps  who  have  power  to  sear  your  eye-balls  if  you  but  steal  one 
/orbidden  glance  :  away  !" 

The  dealers  withdrew  into  the  hut,  wondering  at  the  abrupt 
termination  of  their  interview,  and  implicitly  confiding  in  the 
power  of  The  Cripple  to  make  good  his>threat. 

"  The  Lord  have  mercy  upon  us  !"  said  the  mercer,  in  a  smoth- 
ered voice,  after  they  had  entered  the  door  ;  "  The  Cripple  has 
matters  on  hand  which  it  were  not  for  our  good  to  pry  into. 
Pray  you,  Nichol,  let  us  make  our  survey  and  do  his  bidding,  by 
setting  forth  at  once.     I  am  not  the  man  to  give  him  offence." 

The  cause  of  this  unexpected  dismissal  of  the  visitors  was  the 
apparition  of  Cocklescraft,  whose  figure,  in  the  doubtful  light  of 
the  morning,  was  seen  by  Rob  at  a  distance,  on  the  profile  of  the 
bank  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Wizard's  Chapel.  He  had 
halted  upon  observing  The  Cripple  in  company  with  strangers, 
and  had  made  a  signal  which  was  sufficiently  intelligible  to  the 
person  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  to  explain  his  wish  to  meet 
him. 

Rob,  having  thus  promptly  rid  himself  of  his  company,  now 
swung  on  his  short  crutches,  almost  as  rapidly  as  a  good  walker 


204  ROB     OF     THIS     tfOWL. 

could  have  got  over  the  ground,  towards  the  spot  where  the  buc- 
caneer had  halted. 

"  Steer  your  cockleshell  there  to  the  right,  old  worm  !''  said  the 
freebooter,  as  Rob  came  opposite  to  the  bank  on  which  he  stood. 
"You  shall  find  it  easier  to  come  up  by  the  hollow." 

"  The  plague  of  a  foul  conscience  light  on  you  !"  replied  The 
Cripple,  desisting  from  further  motion,  and  wiping  the  perspira- 
tion from  his  brow.  "  Is  it  more  seemly  I  should  waste  my 
strength  on  the  fruitless  labor  to  clamber  up  that  rough  slope,  or 
you  come  down  to  me  ?  You  mock  me,  sirrah  !"  he  added,  with 
an  expression  of  sudden  anger  ;  "you  know  I  cannot  mount  the 
bank." 

"  You  know  I  can  drag  you  up,  reverend  fragment  of  a  sinful 
man  !"  returned  Cocklcscraft,  jocularly  ;  "yes,  and  with  all  your 
pack  of  evil  passions  at  your  back,  besides.  Would  you  hold  our 
meeting  in  sight  from  the  window  of  the  hut,  where  you  have  just 
lodged  a  pair  of  your  busy  meddlers — your  bumpkin  cronies  in  the 
way  of  trade  ?  It  was  such  as  these  that,  but  a  few  nights  ago, 
set  his  Lordship's  hounds  upon  our  tracks.  Come  up,  man,  with- 
out further  parley." 

The  Cripple's  fleeting  anger  changed,  as  usual,  to  that  bitter 
smile  and  chuckle  with  which  he  was  wont  to  return  into  a  tract- 
able mood,  as  he  said, — - 

"  A  provident  rogue  !  a  shrewd  imp  !  He  has  his  instinct  of 
mischief  so  keen  that  his  forecast  never  sleeps.  The  devil  has 
made  him  a  perfect  scholar.  There,  Dickon,  give  me  your  hand," 
he  added,  when  he  came  to  the  steep  ascent  which  his  machine  of 
locomotion  was  utterly  inadequate  to  surmount.  "  Give  me  your 
hand,  good  cut-throat.     Help  me  to  the  top." 

The  muscular  seaman,  instead  of  extending  his  hand  to  his 
companion,  descended  the  bank,  and  taking  the  bowl  and  its  oc- 
cupant upon  his  shoulder,  strode  upward  to  the  even  ground,  and 
8* 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  205 

deposited  his  load  with  as  little  apparent  effort  as  if  he  had  been 
dealing  with  a  truss  of  hay. 

"Bravely!"  ejaculated  Rob,  when  he  was  set  down.  "I 
scarce  could  have  clone  better  in  my  best  day.  Now  what  set 
you  to  jogging  so  early,  Dickon  ?     Where  do  you  come  from  ?" 

"From  the  Chapel,"  replied  the  other.  "  I  came  there  from 
the  port  last  night,  express  to  see  you  ;  and  having  no  special 
favor  for  the  bed  I  slept  on,  I  left  it  at  the  first  streak  of  light  to 
go  and  rouse  you  from  your  dreams,  and  lo  !  there  you  are  at  one 
of  your  dog  and  wolf  bargains  with  the  countryside  clowns." 

"  Discreet  knaves,  Dickon,  who  have  come  to  ease  us  of  some- 
what of  our  charge  of  contraband  :  stout  jerkins — stout  and  well 
lined  ;  rogues  of  substance — Nichol  Upstake,  the  ordinary  keeper 
of  Warrington,  and  Perry  Cadger,  the  mercer  of  St.  Mary's. 
Seeing  you  here,  I  dismissed  them  until  sunset.  That  Peregrine 
Cadger  is  somewhat  leaky  as  a  gossip,  and  might  tell  tales  if  he 
were  aware  that  I  consorted  with  you." 

"  I  see  them  taking  the  road  on  their  ponies,"  said  Cockles- 
craft  ;  "  we  may  venture  to  the  hut.  I  am  sharp  set  for  break- 
fast, and  when  I  have  a  contented  stomach,  I  will  hold  discourse 
with  you,  Rob,  touching  matters  of  some  concern  to  us  both." 

The  Cripple  and  his  guest,  upon  this  hint,  repaired  to  the 
hut,  and  in  due  time  the  morning  meal  was  supplied  and  des- 
patched.    Cocklescraft  then  opened  the  purport  of  his  visit. 

"  Has  it  ever  come  into  your  wise  brain,  Master  Rob,"  he 
asked,  "that  you  are  getting  somewhat  old  ;  and  that  it  might 
behoove  you  to  make  a  shrift  at  the  confessional,  by  way  of 
settling  your  account?  I  take  it,  it  will  not  be  a  very  clean 
reckoning  without  a  good  swashing  penance." 

"  How  now,  thou  malignant  kite  !"  exclaimed  The  Cripple  ; 
"  what's  in  the  wind  ?" 

"Simply,  Rob,  that  the  time  has  come  when,  perad venture, 


206  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

we  must  part.  I  am  tired  of  this  wicked  life.  I  shall  amend  , 
and  I  come  to  counsel  you  to  the  like  virtuous  resolution.  I  will 
be  married,  Robert  Swale,  Man  of  the.  Bowl  !" 

"  Grammercy  !  you  will  be  married  !  you  !  I  spit  upon  you 
for  a  fool.     What  crotchet  is  this  ?" 

"  I  will  be  married,  as  I  say,  neither  more  nor  less.  '  Now  to 
what  wench,  ask  you  ?  Why  to  the  very  fairest  and  primest 
flower  of  this  province — the  Rose  of  St.  Mary's — the  Collector's 
own  daughter.  I  mark  that  devil's  sneer  of  unbelief  of  yours, 
old  buckler  man  :  truer  word  was  never  spoke  by  son  of  the  sea 
or  land,  than  I  speak  now." 

"To  the  Collector's  daughter  !"  ejaculated  The  Cripple  in  a 
tone  of  derision.  "  Your  carriage  is  bold  in  the  port,  but  no 
measure  of  audacity  will  ever  bring  you  to  that  favor.  AVould 
you  play  at  your  old  game,  and  sack  the  town,  and  take  the  dain- 
tiest in  it  for  ransom  ?  You  know  no  other  trick  of  wooing, 
Dickon." 

"  By  my  hand,  Rob,  I  am  specially  besought  by  the  Collector 
to  make  one  at  a  choice  merry-making  which  his  daughter  has  on 
foot  for  next  Thursday.  Ay,  and  I  am  going,  on  his  set  com- 
mand, to/dance  a  galliard  with  Mistress  Blanche.  Oh,  she  shall 
be  the  very  bird  of  the  sea — the  girl  of  the  billow,  Rob  !  She 
shall  be  empress  of  the  green  wave  that  nursed  me,  and  the  blue 
sky,  and  the  wide  waste.  Her  throne  shall  be  on  the  deck  of 
my  gay  bark  :  and  my  merry  men  shall  spring  at  her  beck  as 
deftly  as  at  the  boatswain's  pipe  !" 

"  You  shall  sooner  meet  your  deservings,"  said  Rob,  "  on  the 
foal  of  the  acorn,  with  a  hempen  string,  than  find  grace  with  the 
Collector's  child.  Your  whole  life  has  been  adversary  to  the  good 
will  of  the  father." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  Cocklescraft.  "  I  was  born  in  natural 
warfare  with  the  customs  and  all  who  gather  them  ;  the  more 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  207 

praise  for  ray  exploit  !  I  shall  change  my  ways  and  forsake  evil 
company.  I  shall  be  a  man  of  worship.  We  shall  shut  up  the 
Chapel,  Rob  ;  expel  oar  devils  ;  pack  off  our  witches  to  Norway, 
and  establish  an  honest  vocation.  Therefore,  Rob,  go  to  Father 
Pierre,  repent  of  your  misdeeds,  and  live  upon  your  past  gains. 
You  are  rich  and  may  afford  to  entertain  henceforth  a  reputable 
conscience." 

"  Do  not  palter  with  me,  sirrah  !  but  tell  me  what  this  im- 
ports." 

"  Then  truly,  Rob,  I  am  much  disturbed  in  my  fancies.  I 
love  the  wench,  and  mean  to  have  her — fairly  if  I  can — but  after 
the  fashion  of  the  Coast  if  I  must.  She  docs  not  consent  as  yet 
— mainly  because  she  has  a  toy  of  delight  in  that  silken  Secretary 
of  my  Lord — a  bookish,  pale-cheeked,  sickly  strummer  of  stringed 
instruments — one  Master  Yerheyden,  I  think  they  call  him." 

"  Ha  !"  exclaimed  The  Cripple,  as  a  frown  gathered  on  his 
brow  ;  "  what  is  he  ?     Whence  comes  he  ?" 

"  His  Lordship's  chamber  secretary,"  replied  Cocklescraft  ; 
"  brought  hither  I  know  not  when,  nor  whence.  A  silent-paced, 
priestly  pattern  of  modesty,  who  feeds  on  the  favor  of  his  betters, 
as  a  lady's  clog,  that  being  allowed  to  lick  the  hand  of  his  mis- 
tress, takes  the  privilege  to  snarl  on  all  who  approach  her.  I 
shall  make  light  work  with  him  by  whipping  him  out  of  my  way. 
Why  are  you  angry,  that  you  scowl  so,  Master  Rob  ?" 

"  I  needs  must  be  angry  to  see  thee  make  a  fool  of  thyself," 
replied  the  master  of  the  hut.  "  Yerheyden — his  Lordship's 
secretary  !"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "  No,  no  !  it  would  be  a 
folly  to  think  it." 

"  Mutter  as  you  will,  Rob,"  said  Cocklescraft ;  "by  St.  Iago, 
I  will  try  conclusions  with  the  Secretary — folly  or  no  folly  !  He 
has  taught  the  maiden,*'  he  added,  with  a  bitter  emphasis,  i-  tc 
affect  a  scorn  for  me,  and  he  shall  smart  for  it." 


208  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

"  Ha  !  thy  spirit  is  ever  for  undoing  !"  exclaimed  Rob,  sud- 
denly changing  his  mood,  and  forcing  a  harsh  laugh  of  derision. 
"  Mischief  is  your  proper  element — your  food,  your  repose,  your 
luxm*y.  Well,  if  you  must  take  on  a  new  life,  and  strive  to  be 
worshipful,  I  would  counsel  you  to  begin  it  with  some  deed  of 
charity,  not  strife.  I  had  as  well  make  my  lecture  to  a  young 
wolf !  Ha,  Dickon,  you  will  be  a  prospering  pupil  to  the  master 
that  teaches  you  the  virtue  of  charity  !  Such  rede  will  be  wel- 
come to  you  as  water  to  your  shoes  !  I  have  scanned  you  in  all 
your  humors  !" 

"  I  spurn  upon  your  advice,  and  will  not  be  scorned,  old 
man  !"  said  Cocklescraft,  angrily.  "The  maiden  shall  be  mine, 
though  I  pluck  her  from  beneath  her  father's  blazing  roof-tree  ; 
and  then  farewell  to  the  province,  and  to  you  !  Mark  you  that ! 
I  come  not  to  be  taunted  with  your  ill-favored  speech  !  My  men 
shall  be  withdrawn  from  the  Chapel.  I  will  put  them  on  worthier 
service  than  to  minister  to  your  greediness." 

"  Hot-brained,  silly  idiot — thou  drivelling  fool  !"  shouted  Rob. 
"  Do  you  not  know  that  I  can  put  you  in  the  dust  and  trample 
on  you  as  a  caitiff?  that  I  can  drive  you  from  the  province  as  a 
vile  outlaw  ?  Are  you  such  a  dizzard  as  to  tempt  my  anger  ?  If 
you  would  thrive  even  in  your  villainous  wooing,  have  a  care  not 
to  provoke  my  displeasure  !  One  word  from  me,  and  not  a  man 
paces  your  deck  :  you  go  abroad  unattended,  stiverless — a  fugi- 
tive, with  hue  and  cry  at  your  heels.  How  dar'st  thou  reprove 
*ne,  boy  ?" 

"Your  hand,  Rob,"  said  Cocklescraft,  relenting.  "You  say 
no  more  than  my  folly  warrants  :  I  am  a  wanton  fool :  your  par- 
don— let  there  be  peace  between  us." 

"  Art  reasonable  again  !  Bravely  confessed,  Dickon  !  I  for- 
give your  rash  speech.  Now  go  your'  ways,  and  the  Foul  One 
speed  thee  !    T  have  naught  to  counsel,  either  for  strife  or  peace. 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  209 

since  you  have  neither  wit,  wisdom,  nor  patience  for  sober  advice 
against  the  current  of  your  will.  It  will  not  be  long  before  this 
maimed  trunk  shall  sink  into  its  natural  resting  place — and  it 
matters  not  to  me  how  my  remnant  of  time  be  spent — whether 
in  hoarding  or  keeping.  The  world  will  find  me  an  heir  to 
squander  what  little  store  it  hath  pleased  my  fortune  to  gather. 
So  go  your  ways." 

"I  will  see  you  again,  friend  Rob,"  said  the  buccaneer.  "I 
have  matter  to  look  after  at  the  Chapel,  and  then  shall  get  back 
to  the  port,  to  drive  my  suit  to  a  speedy  issue.  I  came  here  but 
in  honest  dealing  with  you,  to  give  you  friendly  notice  of  my 
design,  and  perchance,  to  get  your  aid.  You  have  no  counsel  for 
me  ?  It  is  well  ;  my  own  head  and  arm  shall  befriend  me  ;  they 
have  stood  me  instead  in  straits  more  doubtful  than  this  :  fare- 
well— farewell !" 

As  the  skipper  stepped  along  the  beach,  Rob  planted  himself 
in  the  door  of  the  hut  and  looked  after  him  for  some  moments, 
nodding  his  head  significantly  towards  him,  and  muttering  in  a 
cynical  undertone,  "  Go  thy  ways,  snake  of  the  sea,  spawn  of  a 
water  devil  !  You  married  !  ha,  ha  !  Your  lady  gay  shall  have 
a  sweetened  cup  in  you  :  and  your  wooing  shall  be  tender  and 
gentle — yea,  as  the  appetite  of  the  sword-fish.  It  shall  be  festi- 
val wooing — all  in  the  light — in  the  light — of  the  bride's  own 
blazing  roof  :  a  dainty  wolf  !  a  most  tractable  shark  !  Oh,  I 
cannot  choose  but  laugh  !" 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Some  "with  the  ladies  in  their  chambers  ply 
Their  bounding  elasticity  of  heel, 
Evolving,  as  they  trip  it  whirlingly, 
The  merry  mazes  of  the  entangled  reel. 


Anbter  Eaib. 


"  Tou  wear  a  sword,  sir,  and  so  do  I !" 
'•Well,  sir!" 

"  You  know  the  use,  sir,  of  a  sword  ?" 
"  I  do — to  whip  a  knave,  sir." 

The  Hunchback. 


The  festival  of  St.  Therese,  Blanche's  birth-day,  so  anxiously 
looked  for  by  the  younger  inhabitants  of  St.  Mary's,  and  scarcely 
less  heartily  welcomed  by  the  elder,  at  length  came  round.  To- 
wards suuset  of  an  evening,  mild  in  temperature  and  resplendent 
with  the  glorious  golden-tipped  clouds  of  the  October  sky,  the 
air  fraught  with  that  joyful  freshness  which  distinguishes  this 
season  in  Maryland,  groups  of  gay-clad  persons  were  seen  pass- 
ing on  the  high  road  that  led  from  the  town  to  the  Rose  Croft. 
The  greater  number,  according  to  the  usage  of  that  day,  rode  on 
horseback,  the  women  seated  on  pillions  behind  their  male  escort. 
Some  of  the  younger  men  trudged  on  foot,  and  amongst  these 
was  even  seen,  here  and  there,  a  buxom  damsel  cheerily  making 
her  way  in  this  primitive  mode  of  travel,  and  showing  by  her 
merry  laugh  and  elastic  step  how  little  she  felt  the  inconvenience 
of  her  walk. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  from  this  account  that  the  luxury  of 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  211 

the  coach  was  altogether  unknown  to  the  good  people  of  the 
province.  Two  of  these  vehicles  were  already  within  the  domin- 
ions of  the  Lord  Proprietary  ;  one  belonging  to  his  Lordship 
himself,  and  the  other  to  Master  Thomas  Notley,  of  Notley  Hall, 
member  of  the  council,  and  sometime,  during  the  Proprietary's 
late  visit  to  London,  the  Lieutenant-General  of  the  province. 
They  were  both  of  the  same  fashion,  stiff,  lumbering,  square  old 
machines  which  had  been  imported  some  twenty  years  past,  and 
were  often  paraded  in  the  street  of  St.  Mary's  with  their  bedizened 
postillions  and  footmen,  to  the  no  inconsiderable  enhancement,  in 
the  eyes  of  the  burghers,  of  the -dignity  and  state  of  their  pos- 
sessors. The  bountiful  foresight  and  supreme  authority,  it  may 
be  said,  of  the  Lady  Maria  had  procured  the  aid  of  both  of  these 
accommodations  for  the  service  of  the  evening,  and  they  were, 
accordingly,  now  plying  backward  and  forward  between  the  port 
and  the  Collector's,  for  the  especial  ease  and  delectation  of  sundry 
worshipful  matrons  whose  infirmities  rather  inclined  them  to  avoid 
the  saddle,  and  also  for  the  gratification  of  such  favorites  of  the 
good  lady,  amongst  the  younger  members  of  the  population,  as 
she  vouchsafed  to  honor  by  this  token  of  her  regard.  By  the 
help  of  these  conveniences  a  considerable  number  of  guests  had 
been  set  down,  at  the  scene  of  festivity,  a  full  hour  before  sun- 
set— this  early  convocation  being  in  conformity  with  the  social 
usages  by  which  our  ancestors  were  accustomed,  on  occasions  of 
jollity,  to  take  time  by  the  forelock. 

The  fame  of  the  preparations  atthe  Rose  Croft  had  attracted, 
in  addition  to  the  invited  guests,  all  such  mere  idlers  as  the 
humbler  ranks  of  the  townspeople  supplied.  These  were  chiefly 
congregated  about  the  principal  gateway,  drawn  thither  by  their 
desire  to  witness  the  coming  of  the  visitors  and  to  feast  their  eyes 
with  the  display  of  holiday  finery,  which  furnishes  so  large  a  fund 
of  interest  to  persons  of  this  class.     The  crowd  was  composed  of 


212  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

serving-men  and  maids,  idle  apprentices  and  vagrant  strollers,  of 
both  sexes,  with  a  due  admixture  of  ragged,  bare-legged  boys, 
who  drove  a  business  of  some  little  gain,  by  taking  charge  of  the 
horses  of  such  as  dismounted  at  the  verge  of  the  enclosure  that 
surrounded  the  dwelling.  Willy  of  the.  Flats,  ordinarily  but  a 
comrade  of  these  groups,  was  now  elevated  into  a  character  of 
some  importance  on  a  theatre  of  higher  honor,  and  having  be- 
come a  personage,  in  their  estimation,  of  no  mean  mark,  did  not 
fail  to  let  his  consequence  be  seen  and  felt  by  his  old  compeers. 
His  rough  shoes  were  greased  to  give  them  a  more  comely 
exterior,  his  linen,  new-washed,  was  ambitiously  displayed  upon 
his  breast,  and  his  dilapidated  garments,  put  in  the  best  condition 
their  weather-stricken  service  would  allow,  were  ostentatiously 
freshened  up  with  knots  of  party-colored  ribbons,  which,  especially 
upon  his  veteran  beaver,  flared  in  streamers,  and  audibly  fluttered 
in  the  zephyr  that  played  across  his  brow.  His  fiddle,  which  was 
soon  to  be  called  into  active  employment,  was  as  yet  suspended 
to  the  kitchen  wall  in  its  green  bag,  and  he  strutted,  in  vacant 
leisure,  across  the  lawn  in  the  presence  of  his  envying  cronies  at 
the  gateway,  with  a  vain-glorious  and  self-gratulating  step,  that 
showed,  at  least,  how  complacently  he  viewed  his  own  exaltation, 
even  if  he  did  not  win  as  much  worship  from  the  spectators. 

"  Michael  Mossbank,"  he  said  with  a  significant  twinkle  of 
the  eye  ;  "  we  will  make  dainty  work  of  it  to-night — our  junketing 
shall  be  spoken  of  on  both  sides  of  the  bay  this  many  a  long  year. 
The  quality  themselves  do  not  often  see  the  like, — and  the  simple 
folks  that  have  had  the  luck  to  be  let  in,  will  not  forget  it,  or  I 
am  mistaken,  till  the  young  down  turns  into  old  bristles.  It  is 
like  to  be  a  most  capersome  and  I  may  say  melodious  merry- 
making. You  had  no  light  hand,  Michael,  in  the  ordering  of 
it." 

"You  may  make  Bible  oath  to  that,"  replied  the  gardener  : 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  213 

''  and  you  would  never  be  forsworn.  Order  it,  I  did, — the  out- 
door work,  the  kitchen-work,  and  the  hall-work.  Here  was  the 
trimming  of  hedges  to  make  all  smooth  at  the  bank  side,  and  the 
setting  out  of  the  lawn — not  a  straggling  leaf  shall  you  see  upon 
it  ;  then  the  herbs  for  the  kitchen,  and  the  flowers  for  the  hall  ! 
Faith  it  was  a  handful  of  work  for  a  week  past.  If  it  had  not 
been  for  Michael  there  would  have  been  but  tame  sport  to-night." 

"  Oh,  but  you  have  a  great  head,  for  such  monstrous  contri- 
vances, Michael  :  you  are  a  gardener  of  gardeners  !  Adam  was 
of  the  trade  before  you, — but  he  had  no  jig-muster  to  set  out  in 
his  time  : — his  noddle  could  never  have  compassed  it — or  his  five 
wits  would  have  buzzed  till  he  grew  blind, — and  then  all  his 
children  would  have  given  up  the  trade  forever  after.  Oh,  was 
it  not  lucky  for  us  that  Father  Adam  was  not  put  to  the  order- 
ing of  a  jig-muster?" 

"  Out,  you  beet-face,"  exclaimed  the  gardener,  half  angrily  ; 
"  Go  put  your  gibes  upon  them  that  have  an  ear  for  such  cracks  ! 
Why  do  you  stand  grinning  there  with  your  flaunting  ribons, 
when  there  is  work  for  you  elsewhere  ?  Look  to  yon  gaping 
beggars  at  the  gate — they  will  presently  so  crowd  the  way  that 
no  one  may  enter.  Look  to  it,  until  you  are  wanted  in  the  hall, 
and  you  shall  earn  your  penny-fee  and  broken  victual  the  better 
for  it." 

"  Out  upon  you,  Michael,  yourself,  for  a  churl,  a  cockle-weed  ! 
I  eat  no  broken  victual  at  your  hands :  he  would  have  small  fare 
who  waited  on  your  charity.  A  fiddler  has  as  much  worship  as 
a  spade  lifter  any  day  in  the  year — so,  cock  your  nose  at  some 
one  below  you  !" 

"  A  jest  for  a  gibe,  Willy,"  returned  the  gardener  good- 
hnmoredly  ;  "  a  jest  for  a  gibe  !  Play  turkey-cock  and  swell  to 
your  heart's  content  ! — and  when  you  have  let  off  your  spite  go 
to  the  gate  where  you  are  wanted" 


214  ROE     OF     THE     BOWL. 

The  fiddler,  after  this  short  and  raffling  encounter,  having 
regained  his  equanimity,  and  not  displeased  at  the  chance  of 
showing  his  importance  to  the  loiterers  about  the  gate,  went  to 
the  post  assigned  to  him  ;  where,  with  a  self-complacent  tone  of 
admonition,  he  addressed  the  assemblage,  consisting  of  some 
dozen  auditors,  with  a  discourse  upon  the  behavior  expected  cf 
them  on  this"  interesting  occasion  both  by  himself  and  the  master 
of  the  feast. 

Prominent  amongst  those  upon  whom  this  instruction  wait. 
bestowed,  was  one  who  regarded  Willy  with  singular  deference  : 
this  was  a  lean  and  freckled  lad,  just  on  the  verge  of  manhood, 
whose  unmeaning  eye,  relaxed  fibre  and  ever  present  smile 
denoted  a  stinted  intellect,  whilst  his  unoffending  inquisitive- 
ness  gained  him  admission  to  the  skirts  of  all  gatherings,  whether 
festive  or  sad.  His  restless  foot  and  characteristic  thirst  for 
knowledge  habitually  impelled  him  to  seek  the  most  conspicuous 
post  of  observation,  and  he  was  now,  accordingly,  in  the  fore- 
most rank  of  Willy's  hearers.  Wise  Watkin,  (for  by  this  name 
he  was  familiarly  greeted  by  young  and  old,)  notwithstanding 
the  parsimony  with  which  Xature  had  doled  out  to  him  the  gift 
of  wit,  was  remarkable  for  his  acquaintance  with  all  classes  of 
persons,  and  for  a  certain  share  of  cunning  in  picking  up  the 
shreds  of  whatever  rumor  might  chance,  for  the  time,  to  agitate 
the  gossip  of  the  town  :  he  was  still  more  remarkable  for  his 
inordinate  admiration  of  the  fiddler. 

Willy  had  just  concluded  his  lecture  at  the  gate,  when  his 
attention  was  arrested  by  the  rumble  of  wheels  heard  at  a  dis- 
tance, and  by  a  cloud  of  dust  which  was  seen  rising  in  the  neigh- 
boring wood  through  which  the  road  lay  from  the  town. 

"Hearken,  neighbors, — his  Lordship's  coach  1"  he  cried  out 
"  We  shall  have  it  here  presently,  stuffed  with  people  of  worship. 
Take  ranks  on  each  side  of  the  road — quickly,  I  beseech  you  J 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  21ft 

Now  remember,  at  my  signal,  thus, — hands  to  your  caps,  lads, — ■ 
and  wenches,  sink  : — do  it  comely  and  altogether." 

"Ranks,  ranks  !"  exclaimed  Wise  Watkin,  who,  with  officious 
alacrity,  began  to  push  the  crowd  into  the  array  indicated  by  the 
fiddler.  "  Heed  Willy,  and  do  as  he  bids.  He  knows  what  will 
please  the  gentle-folks — hands  to  your  caps  !" 

The  motley  ranks  being  formed  according  to  the  fiddler's 
direction,  awaited  the  arrival  of  those  for  whom  this  formal  salu- 
tation was  designed. 

Instead  of  the  Proprietary's  coach,  a  few  moments  disclosed 
a  cart  with  a  little  thick-set,  shaggy  pony  attached  to  it,  coming 
at  high  gallop  upon  the  road.  On  the  bench  above  the  shafts 
was  descried  the  jolly  figure  of  the  landlady  of  the  Crow  and 
Archer,  in  the  suit  of  green  and  scarlet  in  which  we  have  hereto- 
fore noticed  her,  playing  the  part  of  charioteer.  Beside  her  sat 
the  terrified  Garret  Weasel,  who,  of  too  light  bulk  to  maintain  a 
solid  seat,  jolted  fearfully  to  and  fro  at  every  spring  of  the 
vehicle.  The  pony  had  manifestly  taken  the  speed  of  his  journey 
into  his  own  discretion,  and,  with  the  shank  of  the  bit  gripped 
between  his  teeth,  and  head  curved  side  wise,  set  his  course  dog- 
gedly for  the  gate,  in  obstinate  resistance  of  the  dame,  who,  with 
both  arms  at  stretch,  reddened  brow  and  clenched  teeth,  tugged 
at  the  reins,  to  turn  him  into  a  road  that  led,  by  a  circuit, 
towards  the  rear  of  the  dwelling,  whither  she  was  now  conveying 
sundry  articles  of  provision  which  she  had  undertaken  to  supply 
for  the  feast. 

"  Friends,  stop  the  beast  1"  shouted  the  treble  voice  of  the 
vintner  as  soon  as  he  perceived  Willy's  corps — "  stop  us  for  the 
love  of  mercy  !" 

As  the  crowd  gathered  to  arrest  the  runaways,  a  wave  of 
the  hand  from  the  dame  suspended  their  purpose.  Her  mettle 
was  roused  by  the  contumacy  of  the  pony  ;  whereupon,  in  disdain 


216  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

of  -the  proffered  aid,  she  gave  loose  rein  to  her  beast,  and,  at  the 
same  time  plying  her  whip  across  his  flanks,  whilst  her  forlorn 
helpmate,  with  eyes  starting  from  their  sockets,  shouted  aloud 
for  help,  flew  threw  the  gateway  with  increased  velocity, — a 
broad  smile  playing  upon  the  face  of  the  dame  as  she  cried  out 
to  the  lookers  on, — "  JsTever  heed  the  babe,  a  gay  ride  will  mend 
his  health." 

The  address  of  the  landlady,  in  safely  passing  through  the 
narrow  way,  elicited  a  general  burst  of  applause,  which  rang  in 
shouts  until  she  had  fairly  got  the  better  of  the  self-will  of  her 
four-footed  antagonist,  and  had  halted  him,  panting,  at  the  back 
of  the  house. 

"  By  my  head,"  exclaimed  Willy,  "  it  was  no  such  great 
mistake  to  set  down  Dame  Dorothy's  tumbrel  for  my  Lord's 
coach  !  If  it  had  been  a  coach  and  six  it  could  not  have  made 
more  dust  or  better  speed." 

"  By  my  head,  it  could  not  !"  shouted  Wise  Watkin,  in  a  shrill 
response  to  Willy's  laugh. — "  There's  a  tickle  to  the  ribs  ! — that 
fiddler  Willy  should  take  Dame  Dorothy's  cart  and  bow-necked 
Bogle  for  my  Lord's  coach  !" — and  with  this  reflection  he  joined 
in  the  chorus  which  echoed  the  general  merriment. 

Meantime  the  company  continued  to  arrive.  The  coaches 
came  with  new  freights,  and  fresh  parties  on  horseback  alighted 
at  the  gate.  The  Collector,  more  than  usually  precise  in  appa- 
rel, stood  at  the  door  receiving  the  frequent  comers  with  that  par- 
ticularity of  observance  which  so  strongly  marked  the  manners  of 
the  past  century  ;  and  group  after  group  was  ushered  into  the 
hall  Here  Mistress  Alice,  in  sad-colored,  silken  attire,  plain  and 
becoming  in  its  fashion,  gave  welcome  to  her  visitors  ;  whilst  the 
Lady  Maria,  in  character  of  what  might  be  termed  the  patroness 
of  the  revel,  took  post  by  her  side.  The  neat  little  figure  of  the 
Proprietary's  sister  received  a  surprising  accession  of  bulk  from 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  217 

the  style  of  her  dress,  which  was  according  to  a  mode  yet  new  in 
the  province.  Her  hair,  laid  flat  and  smooth  upon  the  crown  of 
the  head,  was  tortured  into  a  sea  of  curls  that  fell  over  either  ear 
to  the  point  of  the  shoulder,  and  to  the  same  depth  upon  the 
back,  fringing  her  brow  with  light  and  fleecy  flakes — the  whole 
powdered  to  a  pearly,  brownish  hue,  and  inlaid  with  jewelled 
bands.  Her  gown,  both  body  and  skirt,  was  of  rich,  flowered 
tabby,  whose  coruscating  folds  rustled  with  portentous  dignity,  as 
the  lady  moved  slowly  from  place  to  place.  This  derived  still 
greater  increment  of  stateliness  from  a  stomacher  and  huge  far- 
thingale, or  hoop,  made  after  a  fashion  which  the  queen  of  Charles 
the  Second,  nearly  twenty  years  before,  had  brought  from  Portu- 
gal aud  introduced  to  the  wondering  eyes  of  the  merry  court 
dames  of  England.  The  glory  of  this  array  gave  a  world  of  con- 
descension to  the  deep  and  awfully  formal  courtesy  with  which  the 
benevolent  spinster  made  her  salutations  to  the  arriving  troops  ; 
who,  in  their  turn,  did  full  homage  to  the  claims  of  the  lady  as  the 
presiding  genius  of  the  ball. 

Blanche  Warden,  with  a  playfulness  that  vibrated  between 
the  woman  and  the  girl,  abandoned  the  reception  of  the  guests  to 
the  elders  of  the  family,  and  gave  herself  up  to  the  guidance  of 
her  prevailing  humor,  as  she  appeared,  at  one  moment,  in  the  hall 
smiling  amidst  the  congratulations  of  friends,  and  at  another, 
skimming  across  the  lawn  with  a  dozen  of  her  school-mates  in  the 
random  flight  of  their  wild  fancies.  Her  dress  was  characterized 
by  the  simplicity  of  a  maiden  as  yet  unambitious  to  assume  the 
privileges  of  womanhood.  It  consisted  of  a  bodice  of  scarlet 
velvet  accurately  fitted  to  her  shape,  and  laced  across  the  bosom 
with  silken  cords,  the  tasseled  extremities  of  which  depended 
almost  to  the  ground  ;  short  white  sleeves  looped  to  the  shoulder 
by  bands  of  the  color  of  the  boddice  ;  a  skirt  of  white  lawn,  and 
a  white  slipper  disclosing  a  foot  and  ankle  of  faultless  proportions 
10 


218  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

Her  neck  and  shoulders,  of  matchless  beauty,  were  given  uncov- 
ered to  the  evening  breeze  ;  and  her  glossy  hair,  constrained 
above  her  brow  by  a  fillet  of  ribbon,  fell  in  rich  volume  down 
her  back.  No  jewel  or  jem  contributed  its  lustre  to  grace  her 
person  ;  but  a  boquet  of  choice  flowers  planted  on  the  upper 
verge  of  the  boddice,  and  a  white  rose  nestling  amongst  the 
braided  tresses  on  her  forehead,  better  than  carcanet  or  chain  of 
gold,  diamond  clasp  or  ear-ring,  consorted  with  the  virgin  purity 
and  artless  character  of  the  wearer. 

For  a  time,  until  the  thickening  shades  of  twilight  and  the 
keenness  of  the  evening  air  began  to  admonish  them  of  the  com- 
fort of  the  house,  many  of  the  guests,  attracted  by  the  unusual 
mildness  of  the  season,  loitered  about  the  door  or  strolled  across 
the  grounds.  Near  the  brink  of  the  cliff  which  overlooked  the 
river  might  have  been  seen  Captain  Dauntrees  amusing  a  group 
of  idle  comrades.  Here  and  there,  a  priest  from  the  Jesuit  House 
of  St.  Inigoe's,  in  his  long  cassock,  diversified  the  general  aspect 
of  gay  costumes,  with  a  contrast  grateful  to  the  eye.  The  Pro- 
prietary, with  the  buxom  old  host,  Mr.  Warden,  and  the  aged 
Chancellor,  essayed  to  make  merry  with  some  venerable  matrons, 
who,  with  a  sagacious  presentiment  of  rheumatic  visitations,  were 
effecting  a  retreat  towards  the  chimney-corner  of  the  parlor. 
Talbot  played  the  gallant  amongst  a  half-score  maidens,  who 
flitted  along  the  margin  of  the  cliff  with  a  clamor  that  almost 
amounted  to  riot,  whilst  in  his  wake,  Master  Benedict  Leonard, 
as  gaudy  as  a  jay,  strutted  swaggeringly  along,  apparently  but  to 
indulge  his  admiration  of  his  kinsman  or  to  discharge  some  shot 
of  saucy  freedom  amongst  the  maidens. 

With  the  lighting  of  candles  the  first  notes  of  Willy's  fiddle 
Avere  heard  in  a  bravura  flourish  summoning  the  dancers  to  the 
hall  ;  and  here  the  ball  was  opened,  according  to  prescriptive 
custom,  with  the  country-dance,  which  was  led  off  by  no  less  a  per- 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  219 

sonage  than  the  Lady  Maria,  attended  by  the  worshipful  Collector 
himself  as  her  partner,  the  couple  affording,  both  in  costume  and 
movement,  the  richest  imaginable  portraiture  of  that  "  ancientry 
and  state"  which  so  pleased  the  fancy  of  our  progenitors.  Other 
dances  of  the  same  character,  mingled  with  jigs  and  reels,  suc- 
ceeded, and  the  company  soon  rose  into  that  tone  of  enjoyment 
which  the  contagious  merriment  of  the  dance  diffuses  over  all  such 
assemblages.  Cards,  at  that  day,  even  more  than  at  present,  con- 
stituted the  sober  resource  of  the  elder  and  graver  portions  of 
society  of  both  sexes  ;  and  accordingly,  by  degrees,  the  Collector 
had  drawn  off  to  the  parlor  a  respectable  corps  of  veterans,  who, 
grouped  around  the  small  tables,  pursued  this  ancient  pastime  with 
that  eagerness  which  it  has  always  inspired  among  its  votaries, 
leaving  the  hall  to  the  unchecked  mirth  of  the  dancers. 

"  We  heard  it  said  that  Master  Cocklescraft,  of  the  Olive 
Branch,  was  to  be  here  to-night,"  said  Grace  Blackiston,  as  she 
encountered  Blanche  in  the  dance.  "  He  told  Father  Pierre  that 
he  was  coming  :  and  I  have  heard  it  whispered  too,  that  he  has 
brought  some  pretty  presents  with  him  from  abroad.  I  do  not 
behold  him  yet,  and  here  is  the  evening  half  gone.  Oh,  I  do 
long  to  see  him,  for  they  say  he  dances  so  well.  Is  he  not 
coming  ?" 

"He  has  been  bidden,"  replied  Blanche,  "though  not  much 
with  my  will :  I  care  not  whether  he  comes  or  stays  away." 

"  Ha,  Blanche  has  no  eye  but  for  Master  Albert,"  said  the 
merry  maiden,  as  she  turned  off  and  addressed  herself  to  a  school- 
mate who  stood  near  ;  "  yet  a  good  dancer  is  not  to  be  scorned 
now-a-days,  even  if  the  Secretary  were  a  better.  And  if  he  were 
a  better,  he  doesn't  dance  so  much  that  we  should  content  our- 
selves with  him.  The  Secretary  has  not  been  on  the  floor  to- 
night, but  must  be  tracking  and  trailing  Father  Pierre  about  the 
room      I  do  believe  he  does  so  for  no  purpose  but  to  get  sights 


220  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

of  Blanche  Warden.  I  wonder  if  the  dullard  can  be  in  love  ? 
It  looks  hugely  like  it." 

The  Secretary  had,  in  truth,  not  yet  mingled  in  the  dance,  but 
from  the  beginning  of  the  evening  had  loitered  in  the  hall,  ap- 
parently watching  the  sports,  and,  now  and  then,  communing  with 
Father  Pierre,  who,  though  a  priestly,  was  far  from  being  a  silent 
or  grave  looker-on.  The  benevolent  churchman  enjoyed  a  com- 
manding popularity  with  the  younger  portions  of  the  society  of 
the  province,  and  took  so  much  pleasure  in  the  manifestation  of 
it,  that  he  was  seldom  absent  from  such  of  their  gatherings  as  the 
course  of  his  duty  would  allow  him  to  attend.  For  the  same 
reason  he  was  generally  to  be  found  amongst  the  assemblages  of 
his  children,  as  he  called  them,  rather  than  mingling  in  the  graver 
coteries  of  those  of  his  own  period  of  life.  On  the  present  occa- 
sion he  had  scarcely  quitted  the  dancing  apartment  during  the 
evening,  but  stood  by,  a  delighted  spectator  of  the  mirth  that  spark- 
led in  the  faces  of  the  happy  groups,  and  heard  with  glee,  almost 
equal  to  their  own,  the  wild  laughter  that  echoed  through  the  hall. 

"  They  will  presently  begin  to  think  Master  Albert  Verheyden 
intends  to  set  himself  up  for  a  philosopher,"  he  said,  as  the  Secre- 
tary encountered  him  on  the  skirts  of  the  dancers,  the  eye  of  the 
priest  beaming  with  a  good-natured  playfulness.  "It  is  not  usual 
for  a  squire  of  dames  to  be  so  contemplative.  My  son,  have  you 
given  over  the  company  of  damsels  to  consort  with  an  old  priest 
in  so  gay  a  scene  as  this  V 

"  Father,  I  would  dance  if  there  were  need  ;  but  there  is  not 
often  an  empty  space  upon  the  floor,  nor  want  of  those  who  seek 
to  fill  it.     It  pleases  me  as  well  to  discourse  with  you." 

"  Ah,  benedictus  !  my  son,  it  is  not  at  your  time  of  life  that 
you  may  be  believed  for  such  self-denial.  More  than  one  of  the 
maidens  has  put  the  question  to  me  to-night,  how  this  should  come 
to  pass." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  221 

"Reverend  father,  though  I  will  not  deny  I  love  the  dance, 
yet  my  nurture  long  made  me  a  stranger  to  it  ;  and  now,  since 
my  fortune  has  brought  me  into  the  world,  I  can  scarcely  conquer 
the  diffidence  I  feel  to  exhibit  myself  in  such  exercise." 

"  It  is  an  innocent  pleasure,  son  Albert,  and  a  graceful. 
There  is  healthful  virtue  in  these  lau&'hino;  faces  and  active  limbs. 
St.  Ignatius  forbid  that  I  should  commend  an  unseemly  sport ! 
but  it  has  ever  been  my  belief  that  the  young  men  can  find  no 
better  instructors  in  the  gentle  perfections  of  charity  and  good 
will  than  in  their  sport-mates  amongst  the  maidens, — and  so  I 
preach  in  my  office  :  nor  truly,  may  the  maidens  better  learn  how 
to  temper  their  behavior  with  the  grace  of  pleasing — which  has 
in  it  a  summary  of  many  excellences,  Master  Albert — than  in  the 
fellowship  of  our  sons.  Now,  away  with  you  !  There  is  Blanche 
Warden,  who  has  sent  her  eye  hither  a  dozen  times,  since  we 
have  been  speaking,  to  ask  the  question  why  I  detain  you  from 
your  duty.  Ah,  blessed  Therese  !  daughter  Blanche  does  not 
suspect  I  am  chiding  you  for  that  very  fault.  Go,  my  son  ;  it  is 
a  shame  to  see  you  so  little  dainty  in  your  company  as  to  prefer 
the  cassock  to  the  petticoat.     Go,  go  !" 

The  lively  gesture  of  the  priest  and  his  laughing  face,  as  he 
dismissed  the  Secretary  from  his  side,  attracted  the  notice  of 
Blanche,  who,  as  Albert  Yerheyden  approached  her,  saluted  him 
with — 

"  I  am  glad,  Master  Albert,  that  Father  Pierre  has  seen  fit  to 
bestow  upon  you  such  chiding  as  I  would  have  given  you  myself. 
I  looked  to  you  to  help  me  through  my  ball  to-night,  and  made 
sure  of  it  that  you  would  lead  out  some  of  the  maidens  to  dance  ; 
for  there  are  many  here  that  have  not  yet  had  their  turn  :_ — there's 
Mistress  Hay,  the  viewer's  sister, — she  has  sat  there  all  night, 
unregarded  by  mortal  man.  Ah,  you  are  no  true  friend  to  desert 
me  in  my  need." 


222  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"  Fair  Mistress  Blanche,"  replied  the  Secretary  with  a  down 
cast  look,  "I  stand'under  your  displeasure,  and  acknowledge  my 
fault.  Indeed,  my  dull  brain  did  not  perceive  your  straits.  1 
waited  for  your  bidding'.  You  will  pardon  me  that,  waiting  foi 
your  command,  I  did  not  now  presume  to  move  without  it.  I  will 
go  and  lead  forth  the  viewer's  sister  on  the  instant." 

"  Nay,  stay  now  :  I  have  saved  you  that  errand.  Captain 
Dauntrees,  upon  my  request,  has  proffered  his  hand,  and,  you  may 
see,  they  are  now  standing  on  the  floor  ready  to  begin.  You 
shall  find  other  duty." 

"  To  dance  with  you,  gentle  mistress,  if  it  like  you." 

"  How  can  it  but  like  me,  Master  Albert  ?  Oh,  but  I  love 
this  dancing  !  And  yet  I  much  better  like  it  as  we  have  danced 
many  a  time  at  the  Rose  Croft,  on  a  winter's  night,  with  our 
household  friends,  and  sister  Alice  to  touch  the  spinnet  to  a  gay 
tune,  and  you  to  teach  us  these  new  over-sea  dances.  These 
were  pleasant  hours,  and  worth  a  world  of  these  birth-day  junk- 
etings.    Was  it  not  so  ?" 

"I  love  not  the  crowd,"  returned  the  Secretary  with  a  lively 
emotion.  "  But  these  fireside  pastimes  !  you  may  praise  them 
with  your  most  prodigal  speech,  and  still  fall  short.  We  had  uo 
holiday  finery  there  to  make  proud  the  eye,  nor  glozing  speech 
to  set  up  perfections  which  we  did  not  own,  nor  studied  behavior 
to  win  opinion  by  ;  but  what  we  were  we  seemed,  and  what  we 
felt  we  said.  There  is  more  virtue  in  these  hearthside  commun- 
ings than  you  may  find  in  a  hemisphere  of  shows." 

"  Ah,  Master  Albert,  you  have  seen  the  gaudy  world  on  the 
other  side  of  the  sea,  and  can  speak  of  it  with  assurance.  Our 
little,  unfurnished  province  has  but  small  pleasures  for  you  :  it  is 
a  make-believe  to  praise  our  homely  hearths." 

"I  speak,  Mistress  Blanche,  the  very  breathings  of  my  secret 
heart,  and  tell  you,  though  little  I  can  boast  of  acquaintance  with 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  223 

that  gaudy  world,  nothing  have  I  seen,  dreamed  or  tasted  of 
worldly  pleasure,  nor  ever  fancied  of  human  happiness,  that 
might  exceed  the  rich  delight  of  those  household  scenes  you 
speak  of." 

"  Were  they  not  happy  ?"  exclaimed  Blanche,  kindling  into 
a  "rapture  excited  by  the  fervor  of  the  Secretary's  earnest  and 
eloquent  manner.  "  We  owe  so  much  of  it  to  you,  Master 
Albert.  Until  you  came  into  the  province,  we  sometimes  had  a 
weary  hour  at  the  Rose  Croft :  now,  my  father  finds  it  weary 
when  you  are  away.  I  do  not, — because  I  may  surely  count 
that  it  shall  never  be  long  until  you  are  here  again.  Mercy  ! 
did  we  not  stand  here  to  dance  ?  and  see,  our  turn  has  past  all 
unheeded.     We  will  to  the  foot  again  and  take  another  turn." 

It  was  as  the  maiden  had  said.  In  the  engrossment  of  their 
conversation  they  had  been  passed  by  in  the  country-dance.  As 
they  now  went  to  the  foot  to  bring  themselves  into  place, 
Blanche  whispered,  "I  rejoice  the  skipper  is  not  come  to-night  : 
his  shrewdness  has  taught  him,  notwithstanding  my  fathei''s  good 
will,  that  there  is  but  little  relish  for  his  company  at  the  Rose 
Croft." 

"You  reckon  without  your  host,  Mistress  Blanche,"  replied 
the  Secretary.  "  There  is  the  skipper  outside  of  the  window  ; 
and  not  well  pleased  with  his  own  ruminations,  if  I  may  judge  by 
his  folded  arms  and  earnest  eye." 

Cocklescraft  had  been  in  the  porch,  looking  in  upon  the  scene, 
some  moments  before  he  was  observed  ;  a  crowd  of  domestics 
having  so  pre-ocenpied  the  same  station  as  almost  to  shield  him 
from  the  notice  of  those  within.  Whilst  Blanche  and  Albert 
now  danced,  he  had  planted  himself  in  the  door.  His  counte- 
nance was  grave,  his  attitude  statue-like,  and  his  eye  sharply 
followed  the  motions  of  the  maiden.  His  dress,  somewhat  out- 
landish, but  still  within  the  license  of  that  period,  was  of  a 


224  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

Spanish  fashion,  profusely  decorated  with  embroidery  and  set 
off  by  jewels  of  exceeding  richness.  It  was  too  ambitious  of 
ornament  to  be  compatible  with  good  taste,  and  manifested  that 
love  of  finery  which  is  the  infallible  index  of  a  tawdry  aud  sensual 
nature.  The  thoughtfulness  of  his  countenance  denoted  an  ab- 
straction, of  which  he  was  obviously  not  conscious  at  the  moment, 
for  he  no  sooner  caught  the  glance  of  Blanche  than  his  whole 
bearing  underwent  a  sudden  change  ;  his  eye  sparkled,  his  lip 
assumed  a  smile,  and  he  became  at  once,  in  appearance,  the  gay 
and  eai'eless  reveller. 

"  God  save  the  Rose  of  St.  Mary's,  the  beautiful  flower  of 
our  New  World  !"  he  said,  as  he  approached  the  maiden  with 
what  she  could  not  fail  to  note  as  an  over-acted  effort  to  assume 
the  cavalier.  "  Viva  la  Padrona  !  The  damsels  of  Portugal  will 
teach  you  the  meaning  of  that  speech,  pretty  mistress.  You  have 
a  gallant  company  to-night,"  he  added,  as  he  cast  his  eyes  around  ; 
in  doing  which  he  recognized  Albert  Yerheyden  with  a  scarcely 
perceptible  nod  of  the  head,  and  then  turned  his  back  upon  him. 
"By  your  leave,  Mistress  Blanche,  I  would  dance  with  you  at 
your  first  leisure  :  the  next  dance,  or  the  next, — I  am  your  hum- 
ble servant  for  as  long  as  you  will.  Shall  it  not  be  the  next 
dance  ?" 

"  I  will  tell  you  presently  :  I  know  not  whether  I  may 
dance  again  to-night,  Master  Cocklescraft,"  replied  the  maiden 
coldly. 

"  There  spoke  the  same  tongue  that  refused  my  mantle  ! 
Your  cruelty,  mistress,  exceeds  that  beauty  which  all  men  so 
boast  of  in  this  province.  I  wish  I  could  bring  you  to  look  upon 
me  with  compassion.  Not  even  a  dance  with  the  queen  of  our 
feast  !  A  poor,  rough-spoken  sailor  meets  but  little  grace  in  a 
lady's  favor,  when  white-handed  lute-players  and  ballad-singing 
pages  stand  ready  at  her  call.     It  is  even  as  you  will  !  damsels 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  225 

have  the  privilege  of  denial  all  the  world  over,  and  I  am  toe 
much  of  a  gallant  to  trouble  you  with  an  unwelcome  suit — " 

"I  will  dance  with  you,  Master  Cocklescraft,"  said  Blanche 
anxiously,  as  she  saw  the  chafed  spirit  of  the  skipper  working  in 
his  face  notwithstanding  his  effort  to  disguise  it  ;  whilst,  at  the 
same  time,  she  feared  that  his  peevish  allusion  to  the  Secretary 
might  have  been  overheard  :  "  call  on  me  for  the  next  set,  and  I 
will  dance  with  you." 

"  I  thought  your  goodness  would  relent  !  'Tis  not  in  your 
nature  to  be  unkind.  Gracia  !  I  am  at  your  feet,  Senora — I 
shall  be  on  the  watch.  Scotch  jig,  reel,  or  country-dance,  they 
all  come  pat  to  me.  I  can  dance  the  bransle,  cinquepace,  or 
minuet — the  corant,  fandango,  or  galliard.  You  shall  find  me 
at  home,  mistress,  in  every  clime.  Meanwhile,  I  will  seek  our 
host,  the  worshipful  Collector  :  I  have  not  seen  him  yet." 

This  familiarity  in  the  address  of  the  skipper,  and  the  impor- 
tune and  even  offensive  freedom  of  his  manner,  were  the  result  of 
an  endeavor  to  conceal  a  discontented  temper  under  the  mask 
of  gaiety.  He  had  brooded  over  the  incidents  connected  with  his 
late  visit  to  the  Rose  Croft,  until  he  had  wrought  himself  into  a 
tone  of  feeling  that  might  engender  any  extravagance  of  behavior. 
The  coldness  of  the  maiden,  we  have  seen,  he  imputed  to  causes 
altogether  independent  of  her  good  will  or  aversion  ;  and  he  was, 
therefore,  determined  to  persevere  in  his  aim  to  win  her  favor — 
an  enterprise  which,  in  his  harsh  and  rude  estimate  of  the  propri- 
eties of  conduct,  he  did  not  deem  in  any  respect  hopeless.  He 
made  sure,  in  his  reckoning,  of  the  friendship  of  the  Collector, 
from  whom  he  had  experienced  those  manifestations  of  good-feel- 
ing which  a  hospitable  and  kind-hearted  man  flings  around  him 
almost  at  random,  but  which  Cocklescraft's  self-flattering  temper 
magnified  into  indications  of  special  regard. 

The  agitation  of  these  topics  had  thrown  him  into  a  perplexed 
10* 


226  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

thoughtfulness  which  alone  was  the  cause  of  his  tardy  appearance 
at  the  ball  ;  and  now  that  he  had  arrived,  the  same  rumination 
kept  him  vibrating',  in  a  moody  abstraction,  between  total  silence 
at  one  period,  and  an  unnatural  exhibition  of  mirth  at  the  next, 
giving'  to  the  latter  that  gairish  flippancy  of  manner  which  was 
so  annoying  to  the  maiden. 

The  cordial  and  frank  civility  with  which  the  Collector  recog- 
nized the  skipper  amongst  the  guests,  unfortunately  contributed 
to  confirm  him  in  the  opinion  of  Master  Warden's  favor. 

"  Why,  Richard  Cocklescraft,"  said  the  host,  upon  looking  up 
from  the  cards  which  had  been  absorbing  his  attention,  and  dis- 
covering the  skipper,  "  are  you  here  among  the  gray-beards  ? 
Why  should  you  flock  to  the  old  fowl  when  the  young  are 
gathered  in  the  hall?  There  is  no^gout  in  your  toe.  Get  thee 
back,  man — we  will  have  no  deserters  here  !  You  promised  to 
bring  a  blithe  foot  for  a  jig,  Master  Cocklescraft  ;  are  you  tired 
of  the  sport  already  ?" 

"In  truth,  worshipful  Master  Warden,"  replied  the  skipper, 
"  I  have,  but  within  this  half  hour,  arrived  at  the  house  ;  'tis  not 
long  since  I  left  my  brigantine,  where  matters  on  board  detained 
me." 

"Ha,  and  you  have  not  danced  to-night.  Then  you  owe 
Blanche  a  turn  of  duty.  Co  quickly  back,  Richard,  and  foot  it 
with  my  girl.  I  have  praised  your  leg,  man,  and  said  enough  to 
put  you  on  your  mettle.  Back  to  the  hall,  Master  Cocklescraft, 
and  say  to  Blanche  I  sent  you  for  a  straight-backed  comrade  to 
hold  her  to  the  pledge  of  a  reel." 

"  I  am  already  bound  to  that  pledge,  and  the  time  is  at  hand 
to  make  it  good.  I  but  stole  away  for  au  instant  to  pay  my  duty 
here,"  replied  the  skipper  ;  and  taking  heart  from  the  familiar 
greeting  of  his  host,  returned  to  the  dancing  apartment  with 
lighter  step  and  more  cheerful  face 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  227 

Blanche  took  the  earliest  moment  to  perform  her  engagement, 
hoping  by  this  alacrity  to  acquit  herself  of  her  obligation  in  a 
manner  least  calculated  to  occasion  remark,  and  soonest  to  dis- 
embarrass herself  of  her  partner's  importunity.  The  dance,  on 
her  part,  was  a  reluctant  courtesy,  and  was  accordingly  so  mani- 
fested in  her  demeanor,  in  spite  of  her  resolution  to  the  contrary. 
Cocklescraft,  however,  was  too  much  elated  to  perceive  how  ill 
he  stood  in  the  maiden's  grace.  Scant  encouragement  will  suffice 
to  feed  the  hopes  of  a  lover  ;  still  more  scant  in  a  lover  of  such  a 
temperament  as  that  of  the- heady  seaman.  His  vanity  was  quick 
to  interpret  favorably  every  word  of  civility  that  fell  from  Blanche's 
lips  ;  and  the  little  that  escaped  her  during  the  dance  seemed 
anew  to  brighten  his  hopes  and  inspire  the  zeal  of  his  pursuit. 

When  the  engagement  was  accomplished  the  maiden  quickly 
escaped  from  her  distasteful  suitor,  by  retiring  from  the  hall  and 
mingling  with  other  companions. 

The  guests  were  now  summoned  to  supper.  In  a  wing  of  the 
dwelling-house  the  tables  were  loaded  with  dainty  cheer,  more  to 
be  remarked  for  its  capacity  to  please  the  palate,  than  for  the 
enticements  which  modern  epicurism  has  invented  to  gratify  the 
eye.  An  orderly  division  of  matrons,  escorted  by  the  Collector 
and  the  elders  of  the  province,  moved  forward  at  a  measured 
pace  to  make  the  first  onslaught.  These  were  followed,  after  an 
interval,  by  active  bevies  of  youthful  revellers  who  thronged  in 
noisier  array  to  the  scene  of  assault. 

In  the  housekeeper's  apartment  which  looked  into  the  supper- 
room,  sundry  women,  intent  upon  supplying  the  tables,  were  seen 
ministering  their  office  with  scarcely  less  clamor  than  that  which 
echoed  from  the  consumers  of  the  feast.  Here,  in  a  post  of 
usurped  control  over  the  domestics,  busy  in  rinsing  glasses, 
cleansing  platters,  adjusting  pasties,  and  despatching  comfits, 
was  the  merry  landlady  of  the  Crow  and  Archer,  whose  saucy 


228  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

laughing,  and  not  unhandsome  face,  grew  lustrous  vv\th  the 
delight  afforded  by  her  occupation.  Full  as  she  was  of  the 
appropriate  business  of  her  station,  she  still  had  time  to  watch 
the  banquet  and  make  her  comments  upon  the  incidents  which 
transpired  there. 

"  Ho,  Bridget  Coldcale  !  Bridget,  this  way  look  you  !"  she. 
exclaimed,  as,  with  napkin  in  hand,  and  eye  glistening  with 
delight,  she  beckoned  to  the  thin  and  busy  housekeeper.  "  If 
you  would  live  and  laugh,  pray  come  this  way  and  take  a  peep 
at  the  table.  Who  should  we  have  here,  as  pert  and  proud  as 
if  she  was  the  lady  of  my  Lord,  but  our  gossip,  Dolly  Cadger  ? 
Think  of  it, — the  dame  herself,  in  her  own  true  flesh  and  blood, 
amongst  all  these  gentlefolk.  Marry  !  Master  Anthony  Warden 
was  in  straits  to  choose  comers  when  he  went  to  the  mercer's 
shop  to  find  them.  What  a  precious  figure  the  sea-tortoise 
makes  with  her  yellow  camblet,  blue  sarsnet,  and  green  satin  ! 
And  that  lace  pinner  stuck  upon  her  head,  with  great  lappets 
flaunting  down  like  hound's  ears  !  I  cannot  but  laugh  my  sides 
into  a  stitch — it  is  such  a  dainty  tire  for  a  mercer's  wife.  It  all 
comes,  you  may  swear,  bran  new  out  of  the  mercer's  pack — for 
the  poor  man  had  never  the  soul  to  deny  her  ;  there  will  be  a 
twelvemonth's  bragging  on  the  top  of  this.  Good  lack  !  yonder 
is  Dauntrees,  like  an  humble  bee,  beside  the  viewer's  sister  ! 
The  old  pot-guzzler  is  never  a  man  to  flinch  from  his  trencher. 
Master  Ginger,  I  know  the  measure  of  your  stomach  of  old  !  I 
have  warmed  your  insides  for  you  !" 

"  For  the  blessing  of  charity  and  the  love  of  good  works, 
Dame  Dorothy,  some  drink  !"  cried  Willy,  the  fiddler,  who  had 
just  stolen  from  his  post  and  elbowed  his  way  into  the  housekeep- 
er's room.  "  Some  drink,  beautiful  mistress  ;  my  throat  is  as  dry 
as  a  midsummer  chimney  ;  swallows  are  building  nests  in  it  :  my 
lips  are  dusty  from  long  drought,  and  my  elbow  is  not  able  to 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  229 

wag  for  want  of  oil.  Quick,  good  dame,  or  I  shall  crisp  !  Ha, 
that  is  smooth  and-  to  the  purpose,"  he  exclaimed,  after  tossing 
off  a  glass  which  the  dame  presented  him.  "  Now,  worthy  hostess, 
a  bone  to  gnaw,  for  I  am  fearfully  empty  and  like  to  cave  in  ! 
speed,  dame  :  the  dancers  will  be  calling  before  I  am  filled." 

"  So, — Willy,  set  you  down  and  comfort  your  stomach  at  your 
leisure  ;  there  will  be  no  haste  to  leave  the  supper-table  this  half 
hour,"  replied  the  landlady,  as  she  laid  a  plate  before  the  fiddler, 
furnished  with  good  store  of  pasty  ;  "  take  your  time  and  make 
a  belly  full  of  it,  child — -you  have  earned  your  provender.  I 
warrant,  Willy,  you  never  had  a  merrier  pair  of  legs  to  '  Hunt  the 
Squirrel,'  than  our  old  Captain  gave  you  to-night." 

"  Haw,  haw  !"  shouted  Willy  ;  "  Captain  Dauntrees  is  a  king 
of  Captains,  dame.  He  has  put  a  new  spring  in  Master  War- 
den's old  floor.  I  would  have  given  a  piece  of  eight, out  of  my 
own  pocket,  Mistress  Dorothy — that  is  if  I  had  so  much — to  have 
seen  you  on  the  plank  to-night  footing  it  to  'Hunt  the  Squirrel' 
with  the  Captain,  or  to  '  Moll  Pately,'  or  some  such  other  merry 
frisk  as  I  could  have  made  for  you  :  it  would  have  been  as  good 
as  a  month's  schooling  to  some  of  our  gentlefolks." 

"  Me  on  the  floor,  indeed  !"  ejaculated  the  dame  with  an  affec- 
ted laugh.  "  Faith,  I  might  be  there  as  well  as  some  that  crow 
under  a  hood,  and  the  ball  suffer  no  shame  neither.  But  Master 
Warden  does  not  drop  his  favor  so  low  as  a  vintner's  wife  ;  he 
stops  short  with  the  mercer.  Willy,  did  you  think  before,  that 
the  publican  was  of  less  worship  than  the  peddler  ?  Has  Dame 
Cadger  better  reason  to  hold  up  her  head  than  Dame  Weasel  ? 
Speak  the  truth,  man,  honestly." 

"  Master  Perry  Cadger  has  done  with  peddling  more  than  a 
year  past,"  replied  Willy  ;  "he  is  now  a  'stablished  mercer,  with 
freehold  in  the  town  and  trade  in  the  common.  And  they  do  say, 
Mistress  Dorothy,  that  he  makes  money  over  hand  ;  he  will  be 


280  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

worshipful  anon  ;    money  makes  worship,  dame,  all   the  world 
over." 

"  Maybe  it  does  ;  but  I  would  like  to  know,  has  not  Garret 
Weasel  as  goodly  a  freehold  in  the  town,  as  old  a  trade  in  the 
common,  and  as  full  a  pouch,  as  Perry  Cadger  ?  better,  older,  and 
fuller,  on  my  word  !  Now,  where  is  that  same  mortal,  my  hus- 
band ?"  inquired  the  dame,  looking  around  her  ;  "  as  I  live,  there 
he  is  at  the  chimney-cheek,  fast  asleep  in  the  midst  of  all  this  up- 
roar !  The  noddipeake  is  of  too  dull  a  spirit  for  such  a  place  as 
this.  Wake  him  up,  Willy  !  Garret,  man  !"  she  screamed,  in  a 
tone  which  instantly  brought  him  to  his  feet  ;  "  if  you  are  weary, 
put  Bogle  in  the  cart  and  get  you  home  to  bed  ;  Matty  will  bring 
the  cart  back  and  wait  for  me." 

"  I  sleepy  !"  returned  the  husband,  in  a  husky  voice,  and  with 
a  bewildered  drowsy  eye  which  he  endeavored  to  light  up  with  a 
laugh  ;  "  good  woman,  if  you  wait  here  until  I  grow  sleepy,  you 
will  be  a  weary  loiterer, — that's  all  I  have  to  say.  Sleepy,  dame ! 
If  a  man  but  wink  his  eye  in  the  light,  you  would  swear  to  a  snore. 
Adsheartlikens  !  I  have  been  in  many  a  rouse,  wife,  as  you  well 
know  ;  day-dawn  is  my  twelve  o'clock  ;  chanticleer  has  crowed 
himself  hoarse  many  a  time  before  he  could  get  me  to  bed.  I'll 
see  you  out." 

"  Oh,  chops,  chops  !  here's  an  honest  night's  work  for  you  !" 
drawled  out  Wise  Watkin,  who  had,  ever  since  dark,  occupied  a 
station  at  a  window  as  a  spectator  of  the  dancing,  and  now  had 
pryingly  thrust  his  head  into  the  housekeeper's  apartment  ;  "  here 
are  eatables  and  drinkables,  wet  and  dry,  to  set  any  stomach  a 
laughing  !  Why,  how  now,  Wilty!"  he  ejaculated,  with  a  chuckle, 
as  he  discovered  the  fiddler  regaling  himself  in  the  room,  and  ad- 
vanced towards  him  with  the  skulking  step  of  a  dog  that  is  doubt- 
ful of  his  reception  ;  "  you  know  where  the  fat  and  the  sweet  are. 
Oh,  Master  Willy,  you  are  a  wise  fiddler  !  their  worships  do  well 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  231 

to  make  much  of  you.  Have  you  never  a  crust  for  poor 
Watkin  V 

"  Out,  you  dottrel  !"  shouted  Mistress  Coldcale,  in  a  key  that 
thrilled  through  the  frame  of  the  simpleton,  and  turned  him  pre- 
cipitately towards  the  door.  "  Havn't  we  idlers  enough  in  our 
way  without  you  ?  Here,  take  this  and  begone,"  she  continued, 
as  relenting  she  gave  the  witless  intruder  a  plate  of  provisions. 
And  as  for  you,  Willy,  the  young  folks  are  gathering  again  in  the 
hall,  there  will  be  a  message  for  you  presently." 

"  I  stay  for  no  message,"  replied  the  fiddler,  as  he  rose  and 
shook  the  crumbs  from  him,  and,  with  jaws  still  occupied,  with- 
drew from  the  apartment,  followed  by  the  admiring  Watkin. 

Upon  the  lawn  in  front  of  the  house,  Albert  Verheyden  had 
erected  a  bower,  which  sheltered  a  rustic  altar  dedicated  to  St. 
Therese,  over  which  the  name  of  Blanche  had  been  wrought  in 
large  letters,  formed  by  a  number  of  suspended  lamps,  which  threw 
a  softened  light  for  a  considerable  space  around.  Hither,  after 
supper,  Mr.  Warden,  with  a  small  party  of  his  guests,  had  strolled 
in  the  interval  before  the  sports  of  the  evening  were  resumed. 
Cocklescraft  had  watched  the  opportunity,  and  now,  somewhat 
elated  with  wine  as  well  as  buoyed  up  with  hope,  had  tracked  the 
Collector's  footsteps  until  he  found  him  separated  some  little  space 
from  his  company. 

"  Well  met,  Master  Warden  !"  was  the  skipper's  accost,  so 
familiarly  whispered  in  the  ear  of  his  host  as  to  produce  a  slight 
movement  of  surprise.  "  Well  met,  Caballero  !  I  have  a  word  for 
your  private  ear  ;  this  way  if  you  please.  It  is  somewhat  cool,  so 
I  will  to  my  purpose  roundly,  in  seaman's  fashion." 

"  Speak,  but  quickly,  Master  Cocklescraft,  and  in  plain  phrase: 
I  shall  like  it  the  better." 

"  Master  Warden,  then,  without  mincing  the  matter,  I  would 
\iave  your  leave  to  woo  our  beautiful  maiden  your  daughter." 


232  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

'-'  Who, — what, — how  ?"  interrupted  the  Collector,  in  a  voice 
that  spoke  his  astonishment. 

"  Your  daughter,  Mistress  Blanche  :  ay,  and  have  your  good 
word  to  the  suit  :  I  love  her  like  a  true  son  of  the  sea — heartily, 
and  in  that  sort  would  woo  her." 

"  What  is  it  you  ask  !"  again  spoke  the  host  with  increased 
surprise. 

"  I  have  gear  enough,  Master  Warden  ;  no  man  may  turn  his 
heel  on  me  for  lack  of  gold." 

"  How  now,  sirrah  !"  interrupted  the  Collector,  as  in  this  brief 
space  the  storm  had  gathered  to  the  bursting  point :  "  You  would 
woo  my  daughter  ?— woo  her  ? — my  Blanche  ?  Richard  Cock- 
lescraft,  have  you  lost  your  wits — turned  fool,  idiot  ;  or  is  your 
brain  fevered  with  drink  ?  You  make  suit  to  my  daughter  ! 
You  win  and  wear  a  damsel  of  her  nurture  !  Hear  me.  Your 
craft  is  a  good  craft — I  do  not  deny  it  ;  an  honest  calling,  when 
lawfully  followed  !  a  brave  calling  !  but  you  sail  on  a  false  reckon- 
ing when  you  hope  to  find  favor  with  my  girl  Blanche.  Your 
rough  sea-jacket,  and  your  sharking  license  on  the  salt  sea,  mates 
not  with  daughter  of  mine  : — the  rose-leaf  and  the  sea-nettle  ! 
You  venture  too  largely  on  your  welcome,  sirrah  !"  he  said,  as  his 
anger  began  to  show  itself  in  his  quickened  speech,  above  his 
effort  to  restrain  it.  "  Master  Skipper,  there  is  insolence  in  this. 
Hark  you,  sir  !  if  you  would  not  have  me  disown  your  acquaint- 
ance and  forbid  you  my  house,  you  will  never  speak  again  of  my 
daughter." 

With  this  brief  rebuke  of  the  skipper's  aspirations  the  host 
retreated  hastily,  and  much  out  of  humor,  into  the  house,  leaving 
his  guest  in  a  state  of  bewilderment  at  the  sudden  and  unexpected 
issue  of  the  interview.  For  a  moment  the  seaman  stood  fixed  on 
the  spot,  his  lips  compressed,  his  hands  clenched,  and  his  eye 
directed  to  the  retiring  fia-ure  of  the  Collector  :   at  length  beam- 


ROB     OF'   THE     BOAVL.  233 

ning  to  find  breath  and  motion,  he  muttered,  "So  it  has  come  to 
this  !  he  has  been  playing  the  hypocrite  !  It  was  but  a  holiday 
welcome,  after  all  !  I  shall  note  it  for  future  remembrance.  A 
sea-nettle  !  By  Saint  Anthony  he  shall  find  me  one  !  And  that 
sharking  license  he  spoke  of :  he  shall  taste  its  flavor.  This  girl 
has  been  trained  in  her  dislikes.  Oh,  it  is  his  sport  to  see  me 
foiled  !  I  am  brought  here  express  to  the  ball  by  his  persuasion, 
— nay,  command  ;  I  am  caressed  with  courtesies,  and  even  chal- 
lenged to  romps  with  the  maiden  by  his  own  lips.  Who  so  free 
in  his  admission  here  as  I  ? — Richard  Cocklescraft,  forsooth  !  One 
would  have  thought  we  had  been  fellow  thieves  in  our  time  ;  there 
was  such  cronying  in  his  phrase  :  and  then  at  last,  when  frankly 
I  tell  him  my  purpose,  I  am  to  be  huffed  and  hectored  off  the 
ground  with  bullying  speeches  !  He  must  bounce  me  as  if  I  were 
a  cowardly  boy.  Oh,  wind  and  wave  and  broad-sea  sky  !  it  was 
not  in  your  nursing  I  learned  the  patience  to  bear  this  wrong. 
You  are  not  too  old  yet,  Anthony  Warden,  to  be  taught  the  hazard 
of  rousing  a  Bloody  Brother  !  And  as  for  you,  gay  maiden,  dream 
on  of  your  bookish  ballad-singer,  Master  Albert  !  I  have  a  reck- 
oning to  settle  with  him.  It  will  be  a  dainty  exploit  to  send 
him,  feet  foremost,  into  the  Chapel  for  a  blessing.  Luckily,  Sir 
Secretary,  you  owe  me  the  worth  of  an  unsatisfied  grudge  !  Softly 
— Master  Yerheydcn  himself  !  we  meet  at  a  fortunate  hour." 

The  soliloquy  of  the  skipper  was  interrupted  by  the  approach 
of  the  Secretary,  who  entered  alone  into  the  bower  and  paused  a 
moment  before  the  little  altar.  A  light  tap  on  the  shoulder  made 
Albert  aware  of  the  presence  of  Cocklescraft,  and  turning  round 
to  confront  the  person  who  gave  it,  he  was  immediately  greeted 
with  the  accost,  "  I  have  a  word  for  your  ear,  sir  ; — if  you  be  a 
man  you  will  follow  me  out  of  this  broad  light.  What  I  have  to 
say  is  better  told  where  no  one  may  observe  us  ;  follow  me,  sir." 

"You  are  somewhat  too  peremptory,"  replied  the  Secretary, 


234  ROB     OF    THE*    BOWL. 

as  he  stepped  after  the  skipper  toward  the  cliff :  "  I  follow, 
though  I  think  more  courtesy  would  befit  your  station.  I  have 
once  before  marked  and  reproved  your  rudeness." 

"I  have  no  courtesies  to  waste  on  yon,"  said  Cocklescraft, 
sharply;  "my  business  is  with  your  manhood.  You  have  the 
maiden  to  thank  that  I  did  not  bring  you  to  instant  account  for 
that  insolent  reproof  you  speak  of.  I  come  to  deal  with  you  upon 
it  now.  Are  you  a  man  ?  Dare  you  meet  me  to-morrow,  at  noon, 
at  Cornwaleys's  Cross  ?" 

"  I  dare  meet  you  and  any  or  all  who  have  right  to  claim  it 
of  me,"  replied  Albert,  promptly,  "  in  the  way  of  honorable  quar- 
rel, if  such  be  the  meaning  of  your  challenge.  And  although  I 
am  ignorant  of  your  degree,  and  may  question  your  right  to  defy 
me  to  equal  contest,  yet  honored  as  you  have  been  under  this  roof, 
I  shall  rest  content  with  that  as  sufficient  pledge  of  your  claim  to 
my  attention.     You  shall  find  me,  sir,  punctual  to  your  summons." 

"I  scorn  the  shallow  claim,"  returned  the  skipper,  "to  such 
honor  as  they  who  inhabit  here  may  confer.  The  master  of  the 
Olive  Branch  need  not  vail  his  top  to  a  clevkish  spinner  of  sylla- 
bles, even  though  the  minion's  writing-stool  be  found  in  my  Lord's 
own  ante-chamber.  I  shall  see  you  to-morrow  at  noon,  at  the 
Cross." 

"  To-morrow  at  noon,"  replied  the  Secretary,  "  you  shall  not 
complain  of  my  absence,  sir." 

"  It  is  well  !  So,  good  night,  Master  Secretary  !"  rejoined  the 
skipper,  scornfully,  as  he  bowed  to  his  antagonist  and  set  forth  to 
seek  his  boat  which  lay  in  waiting  beneath  the  bank. 

The  Secretary  turned  towards  the  dwelling,  somewhat  dis- 
turbed by  the  novel  situation  into  which  he  had  been  so  unex- 
pectedly thrown,  but  resolved  to  conceal  the  disquiet  of  his  mind 
and  preserve  the  same  outward  composure  which  had  marked  his 
deportment  during  the  previous  portion-of  the  evening. 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  235 

"  Who  lurks  there  V  he  demanded  in  a  stern  voice,  as  he 
perceived  the  figure  of  a  man  stealing  off  from  his  path  imme- 
diately in  the  vicinity  of  the  spot  where  the  interview  with 
Cockleseraft  had  terminated.  "  Who.  is  it,"  he  added,  checking 
himself  and  speaking  in  a  gentler  tone,  "  that  plays  hide  and  seek 
here  on  the  lawn  V 

"  Nobody,"  returned  a  voice  from  the  shelter  of  the  shrubbery, 
"  nobody  but  me,  honorable  Master  Yerheyden  :  me,  Watkin," 
continued  the  half-witted  lad,  as  he  came  visibly  into  the  presence 
of  the  Secretary.  "Haven't  we  had  a  famous  junketing?  Oh, 
what  I  have  eaten  and  drunk  this  blessed  night  !  and  wlmt 
dancing,  Master  Verheyden  !  was  there  ever  such  fiddling  ? 
Willy  is  a  treasure  to  the  quality,  I  warrant  you.  Where  have 
you  such  another  ?" 

"You  should  be  looking  on  at  the  dancing,"  said  Albert, 
anxious  to  ascertain  from  the  lad  if  lie  had  heard  any  thing  of 
what  had  just  passed  between  himself  and  Cocklescraft.  "  How 
comes  it,  Watkin,  that  you  are  away  from  your  post  V 

"  Oh,  bless  you,  Master  Yerheyden,  I  have  more  on  my  hands 
than  you  would  guess  in  a  week's  striving.  Now,  what  should 
Mistress  Coldcale  say  to  me  when  I  had  gobbled  up  my  supper, 
but,  Watkin,  take  this  trencher  and  this  pot  down  to  the  bank 
side,  and  there  feed  the  seamen  of  Master  Cocklescraft's  boat, 
which  you  shall  find  at  the  landing,  below  the  garden.  And  so, 
truly,  there  I  found  the  hungry  tarpaulins  :  and  they  did  eat, 
Master  Albert,  like  fishes,  and  drink  like  wolves.  It  is  Mistress 
Blanche's  birth-day,  says  I,  so  we  will  have  no  hungry  bellies 
here,  comrades.  And  they  laughed,  and  I  came  up  the  bank  as 
I  went,  running  almost  out  of  breath  to  see  fiddler  Willy  strike 
up  again.  And  that's  the  way  I  fell  pop  upon  you,  Master  Sec-, 
retary." 

"It  was  a  lucky  speed,  Watkin  ;  now  get  y3u  gone  !"  said 


236  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

Albert,  as  he  slowly  bent  his  steps  towards  the  hall  and  mingled 
again  in  the  bustle  of  the  scene. 

As  midnight  drew  near  the  elder  guests  had  all  retired  ;  and 
at  last  even  the  most  buoyant  began  to  yield  to  that  weariness 
of  limb,  by  which  Nature  has  set  her  limit  to  the  endurance  of 
social  pleasure,  no  less  peremptorily  to  those  in  the  prime  of 
youth  than  to  such  as  waue  in  their  days  of  decline. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


These  businesses  of  fighting 
Should  be  dispatched  as  doctors  do  prescribe 
Physical  pills,  not  to  be  chewed  but  swallowed: 
Time  spent  in  the  considering  deads  the  appetite. 

Shirley. 


Early  in  the  morning  after  the  ball,  Willy  of  the  Flats,  who  had 
spent  the  night  amongst  the  servants  at  the  Rose  Croft,  strayed 
forth  from  his  truckle  bed  and  betook  himself  to  the  margin  of 
St.  Inigoe's  creek,  where  he  sat  down  to  look  abroad  over  the 
waters  at  the  rising  sun,  and  to  profit  by  the  breeze  as  it  cooled 
his  brow,  still  aching  with  the  effects  of  the  late  revel.  He  had 
not  been  long  in  this  position  before  Wise  Watkin,  fresh  from  a 
truss  of  hay  in  the  barn,  espied  him,  and  now  hastened  to  take  a 
seat  at  his  side. 

"  Well,  lad  of  the  clear  head  and  mother  wit,  what  has  brought 
you  to  the  water  side  so  early  ?"  was  Willy's  question,  as  the 
obsequious  Watkin  came  into  the  presence  of  his  patron. 

"  As  I  lay  in  the  barn,  Willy,"  replied  Watkin,  with  a  world 
of  gravity  in  his  looks,  "  I  heard  first  a  hem,  and  then  a  cough  ; 
— and  says  I,  that's  Willy  of  the  Flats,  by  the  sound  of  his 
throat.  And  so,  I  gets  up  and  looks  out  through  the  cranny, 
and,  sure  enough,  there  was  you  walking,  with  your  hands  in 
your  pockets  and  your  hat  set  a  one  side  like  a  gentleman  : — and 
then,  says  I,  if  Willy's  stirring  now  so  early,  honest  folks  ought 


238  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

to  be  abroad  too.  And  with  that,  out  I  walked,  he,  he,  he  ! — ■ 
and  here  I  am  sitting  beside  you,  like  another  gentleman." 

"  Then,  Wise  Watkin,  since  we  are  so  sociable,  tell  me  what 
you  think  of  our  ball  last  night  ?" 

"  Oh,  grand  ! — grand,  grand,  Master  Willy  !  Oh,  you  have 
tickled  Toby  in  the  ribs,  Master  Willy  ! — you  have  done  it  as  it 
was  never  done  before.  People  will  talk  of  Willy  of  the  Flats 
after  this.  Mistress  Blanche  will  talk  of  you, — Master  Albert 
will  talk  of  you.  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  his  Lordship  should  send 
you  a  purse  of  gold.  I'm  sure  it's  no  more  than  folks  look  to  see 
done." 

"  And  Mistress  Coldcale  did  not  stint  to  give  you  plenty  to 
stay  your  stomach,  Watkin  ?" 

"  Plenty,  troth,  and  to  spare,  Willy  !  Mistress  Coldcale  is 
a  mother  of  open  hands.  I  could  live  under  Mistress  Coldcale 
all  my  born  days  and  never  grudge  what  I  did  for  her." 

"Mistress  Bridget  will  give  us  our  breakfasts  this  morning," 
said  the  fiddler,  patting  the  simpleton  on  the  head  ;  "  and  then, 
Watkin,  we  must  away.  It  will  not  be  well  taken  if  we  tarry 
too  long  after  the  feast." 

"There  is  more  sport  on  hand  to-day,  Willy.  We  must  not 
go  till  that  be  over.  There  is  to  be  a  set-to  at  Cornwaleys's 
Cross  to-day." 

"  A  set-to  ?" 

"  I  know  all  about  it,  Master  Willy.    I  heard  them  appoint  it." 

"  Heard  who  ?     What  do  you  mean,  Wise  Watkins  ?" 

"  Listen,  Willy  ; — it  was  as  I  shall  tell  you.  When  I  carried 
fodder  to  the  boat  last  night,  as  Mistress  Bridget  ordered — I 
call  a  full  trencher  of  meat  fodder,  Master  Willy — I  comes  back 
by  the  way  of  the  stile  over  the  hedge,  when  what  should  I  see 
but  two  gentlefolks  in  a  discourse,  and  what  should  I  hear  but 
'  I'll  meet  you,  and  you  will  meet  me  to-morrow  morning  at  noon, 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL,  239 

at  Cornwaleys's  Cross.'     Oh,  it  is  a  made-up  business,  Willy." 

"  Who  are  you  speaking  of,  you  slippery-witted  fool  ?"  de- 
manded the  fiddler,  shaiply. 

"  Nay,  if  you  tax  me  so  keenly,  Willy, — I  will  not  answer. 
I  could  have  told  you  what  Master  Albert  said  to  me  afterwards, 
when  Master  Cocklescraft  went  over  the  bank  and  into  his  boat 
— but  I  will  not, — for  your  sharpness." 

"Now,  Watkin,  wise  lad,  are  you  not  a  fool  to  take  in 
dudgeon  the  freedom  of  an  old  friend  ?  Come,  there's  a  hand 
— and  in  token  of  good  will  you  will  tell  what  all  this  story 
comes  to." 

"  As  true  as  I  am  an  honest  man,  Willy,  I  heard  it.  Master 
Cocklescraft  comes  first  to  the  hedge  and  Master  Yerheyden  fol- 
lowing. Oh  ho,  says  I,  here's  a  state  matter,  and  so  I  doused 
my  head  under  the  hedge.  Then  Master  Cocklescraft  says  to  our 
honorable  Secretary,  You  will  meet  me  if  you  are  a  man.  And 
the  Secretary  says,  I  am  a  man,  and  I  will  meet  you  at  the  Cross 
— Cornwaleys's  Cross. — When  ?  says  Cocklescraft. — At  noon  to- 
morrow morning,  says  the  Secretary.  I'll  go  and  get  ready,  says 
Cocklescraft  ; — and  with  that  off  he  marches.  There  will  be  a 
pretty  wrestling  match  for  you,  Master  Willy  !  And  I  shouldn't 
Avonder  if  they  should  get  to  a  pitch  of  the  bar  before  they  part  : 
Master  Cocklescraft  has  a  great  arm  for  heaving  a  bar.  You 
and  me,  Willy,  will  be  there  to  see  it.  Oh — I  made  up  my  mind 
last  night  that  the  first  thing  I  did  this  day  was  to  tell  you,  that 
you  might  see  it.     I  know  you  love  a  wrestle,  Willy." 

"This  is  a  matter  to  be  looked  to,  Watkin, — I  will  cast  it 
over  in  my  mind  and  tell  you  whether  we  shall  go  to  it  or  not." 

"Well,"  continued  Watkin,  "the  Secretary  turns  himself 
about  to  go  to  the  house,  and  suddenly,  out  of  the  back  of  his 
head,  he  spies  me  ;  and  so  takes  me  to  account  to  say  what  I 
lurked  there  for. — Oh,  bless  you,  Willy, — I  didn't  tell  him  !— I 


240  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

am  no  fool  ; — if  I  had  let  on  about  the  wrestling-  I  should  never 
have  had  the  luck  to  get  sight  of  it — these  gentlefolks  will  not 
be  a  country  gaze — I  know  them  :• — the  Secretary  was  not  going 
to  tickle  Toby  in  my  ribs.  All  he  got  out  of  me  was  that  I  had 
borne  a  trencher  of  fodder  to  the  boatmen — and  so  he  went  his 
way,  and  I  went  mine." 

"  You  are  a  wise  boy,  Watkin,  and  all  that  I  would  have  yon 
do  now  is  to  keep  your  counsel.  Say  not  a  word  of  this  to  living 
man.     We  will  have  it  clean  to  ourselves." 

"  My  lips  shall  be  as  fast  as  a  padlock,  Master  Willy.  Mortal 
man  shall  not  screw  it  out  of  me." 

The  fiddler  having  extracted  from  Wise  Watkin  the  particu- 
lars detailed  in  this  dialogue,  was  shrewd  enough  to  interpret 
them  according  to  the  real  nature  of  the  incident  to  which  they 
referred.  He  knew  that  the  lad  was  scrupulous  in  telling  the 
truth,  as  well  as  he  comprehended  it,  in  all  matters  that  came 
under  his  observation,  and  Willy  therefore  had  no  reserve  in  the 
assurance  that  there  was  on  foot  a  quarrel  between  the  Secretary 
and  the  skipper,  which  was  to  be  adjusted  at  Cornwaleys's  Cross, 
on  that  day.  The  nature  of  the  quarrel  he  could  not  conjecture, 
although  he  was  not  ignorant  that  the  individuals  concerned  in 
it,  both  held  a  relation  to  the  maiden  of  the  Rose  Croft  which 
might  very  naturally  breed  ill  will  between  them.  It  was  indeed 
a  part  of  Willy's  vocation  to  note  such  matters  in  the  range  of 
his  wanderings, — and  he  had  not  been  so  idle  since  the  arrival  of 
Cocklescraft  in  the  port,  and  especially  during  the  festival  of  the 
previous  night,  as  to  shut  his  eye  or  ear  to  the  deportment  of  the 
two  young  men  in  the  presence  of  the  damsel. 

Upon  revolving  over  the  circumstances  of  Watkin's  disclosure, 
a  1  maturely  perpending,  after  his  own  manner,  the  pressure  of 
the  case,  he  came  to  the  wise  conclusion  that  the  best  thing  he 
could  do  would  be  to  communicate  the  whole  story  to  Blanche 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  241 

and  leave  the  matter  in  her  hands.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the 
maiden  had  taken  her  morning  repast,  he  gained  access  to  her  in 
the  little  bovver  of  St.  Therese,  and  there  made  her  a  confidential 
relation  of  the  particulars,  not  only  as  he  received  them  from 
"Wise  Watkin,  but  with  such  commentary  as  occurred  to  him  to 
belong  to  the  probable  state  of  the  facts.  Blanche  received  the 
communication  with  the  deepest  emotion.  Whilst  the  fiddler  told 
his  story,  her  cheek  grew  pale — tears  started  in  her  eyes,  her  lip 
quivered,  her  limbs,  at  last,  became  rigid,  and  she  fainted  a. fay. 
Before  Willy,  however,  could  quit  her  side  to  call  in  others  to  her 
relief,  she  revived,  and  with  a  tottering  step  made  her  way  into 
the  house.  A  brief  pause  enabled  her  to  summon  up  her  strer/gth 
and  more  composedly  to  address  herself  to  the  emergency  in  her 
view.  The  thought  that  Albert  Verheyden  was  placed  in  cir- 
cumstances of  peril  gave  her  as  much  alarm  as  if  instant  danger 
threatened  herself ;  and  now,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  she 
became  conscious,  how  deep  was  the  stake  she  had  in  his  welfare. 
Then,  too,  she  felt  no  other  conviction  but  that  his  jeopardy  was 
the  direct  consequence  of  his  zeal  in  her  service  ; — that  the 
skipper  had  brought  him  into  the  quarrel  on  some  ground  having 
relation  to  her.  Cocklescraft,  besides,  in  her  estimate  of  him, 
was  a  reckless  and  ruthless  man,  of  fierce  passions  and  violent 
hand,  and  she  trembled  to  think  that  the  gentle  Master  Albert 
should  be  confronted  with  such  an  adversary.  "But  Master 
Albert  is  brave,"  she  said,  "  and  will  not  brook  that  rough  skip- 
per's rudeness  ;  he  chides  his  course  behavior, — as  well  such 
churl  deserves  to  be  chidden.  Albert  does  not  count  the  hazard 
of  his  quarrel,  but  leaves  that  for  timid  maidens  to  do.  Oh, 
blessed  virgin  Therese  !"  she  exclaimed  as  she  cast  her  eye  upon 
the  picture  of  the  saint  which  was  suspended  on  the  wall  of  her 
chamber ;  "  take  good  Master  Albert  into  thy  care,  and  bear 
him  harmless  through  this  peril.  His  quarrel  cannot  but  be 
11 


242  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

just,  and  the  saints  will  guard  him  as  they  ever  guard  the  right." 
Having  come  to  this  conclusion  and  taken  heart  at  the 
thought,  she  straightway  resolved,  as  every  maiden  in  similar 
circumstances  would  resolve,  notwithstanding  the  guardianship 
of  the  saints  which  she  had  invoked,  to  fall  upon  some  scheme,  if 
possible,  to  prevent  the  duel.  With  this  view  she  called  sister 
Alice  into  a  conference,  and  their  joint  conclusion  was  to  make 
known  the  matter  to  Mr.  Warden.  Bat  the  Collector  had 
already  gone  abroad,  and  time  pressed,  leaving  but  a  few  hours 
for  action.  Their  next  resource  was  Father  Pierre  ;  and  instantly 
upon  the  thought  of  him,  Alice  sat  down  and  wrote  the  reverend 
priest  a  letter,  narrating  the  brief  story  and  imploring  his  instant 
intercession  by  such  offices  as  he  might  believe  most  effectual  to 
frustrate  the  purpose  of  the  belligerents.  When  the  letter  was 
ready,  Willy  of  the  Flats  was  summoned  into  the  presence  of  the 
ladies,  and  was  strictly  charged  to  hie  him  with  all  haste  to 
Father  Pierre's  dwelling,  and  to  put  the  missive  into  his  own 
hands,  as  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance  requiring  his  imme- 
diate attention.  To  this  charge  was  added  a  dozen  alternatives 
adapted  to  every  contingency  dependent  upon  Father  Pierre's 
possible  absence  or  inability  to  act.  Thus  commissioned,  Willy, 
followed  by  his  shadow,  Wise  Watkin,  set  forth  for  the  town, 
at  a  rate  which  kept  the  good-natured  attendant  in  a  half  trot. 
Whilst  these  things  were  going  on  at  the  Rose  Croft,  the 
Secretary  was  not  idle  in  his  preparation  for  the  issues  of  the 
day.  Albert  Verheyden  was,  as  I  have  already  hinted,  of  an 
ardent  and  impulsive  temper,  moved  by  a  keen  relish  for  enter- 
prise, and  directed  by  a  lofty  tone  of  honor.  His  bookish  and 
half-clerical  character,  the  result  of  the  discipline  of  his  school 
and  his  early  destination  for  the  Church,  gave  him  a  gentle  and 
almost  diffident  motion,  which  strongly  contrasted  with  the 
warmth  of  his  feelings,  and  the  eagerness  of  his  spirit.     It  was, 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  243 

therefore,  with  a  positive  sense  of  pleasure,  that  he  had  seized 
the  opportunity  to  appear  as  the  champion  of  Blanche  Warden 
in  the  first  hostile  passage  that  took  place  between  the  skipper 
and  himself — a  pleasure  resulting-  not  less  from  the  alacrity  with 
which  he  ever  rendered  service  to  the  maiden,  but  also  from  the 
instinct  of  a  romantic  nature  that  delighted  in  the  thought  of 
matching  its.  manhood  with  a  formidable  adversary.  He  had 
never,  however,  as  yet  contemplated  the  reality  of  an  appeal  to 
arms  ;  and  although  in  his  course  of  accomplishment,  as  was  the 
fashion  of  that  day,  after  he  had  renounced  his  purpose  of  serv- 
ing the  Church,  he  had  practised  the  use  of  his  weapon,  and  even 
attained  to  considerable  skill  in  it,  yet  he  had  not  brought  himself 
to  look  upon  it  as  other  than  a  light  exercise  which,  like  dancing, 
was  intended  to  fit  him  for  the  graceful  service  of  the  station  he 
was  to  fill.  His  ecclesiastical  training  was  not  yet  so  forgotten 
as  to  leave  him  at  perfect  ease  with  himself  in  his  present  straits. 
It  was  not,  therefore,  with  apprehension,  so  much  as  with  diffi- 
dence, that  he  found  himself  now  engaged  in  the  appointment  of 
the  duel.  He  awoke  at  the  dawn  of  day,  full  of  the  thoughts 
connected  with  the  affair  in  hand  ;  and  in  casting  about  for  a  fit 
counsellor  and  friend  in  this  emergency,  he  fixed  his  attention 
upon  Captain  Dauntrees,  as  a  man  who  would  not  only  do  him  a 
friendly  turn,  but  as  one  well  qualified  to  advise  him  how  to  com- 
port himself  through  the  ordeal  of  the  meeting.  Having  resolved 
instantly  to  see  the  Captain,  he  arose,  and  before  the  domestics 
were  stirring  about  the  Proprietary  mansion,  threw  his  cloak 
over  his  shoulder,  concealing  under  its  folds  his  rapier,  and 
betook  himself  to  the  Fort.  Being  admitted  by  the  sentry,  he 
hastened  tothe  little  parlor  of  the  Captain's  quarters,  where  he 
arrived  whilst  that  worthy  was  still  snoring  in  his  bed.  The 
master  of  the  garrison,  however,  was  soon  awakened  from  his 
slumber,  by  a  servant  with  the  announcement  of  his  visitor,  and 


244  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

immediately  afterwards  threw  open  his  chamber  door,  which 
communicated  with  the  parlor,  and  disclosed  to  the  Secretary 
his  burly  figure  half  attired,  whilst  he  was  yet  busy  in  throwing 
on  his  garments. 

"  Good  morrow,  Master  Yerheyden  !"  he  said  with  a  yawn, 
scarcely  half  awake  ;  "  I  take  shame  to  myself  for  a  laggard 
to  have  so  honorable  a  guest  my  teacher  of  good  habits  in  early 
rising.  But  the  Collector's  wine  was  drugged  last  night,  and  had 
a  virtue  of  sleepiness  in  it  which  hath  touched  me  in  the  brain 
pan.  It  is  not  more  than  once  in  a  man's  lifetime,  Master  Secre- 
tary, that  so  choice  a  maiden  as  our  Mistress  Blanche  comes  to 
so  rich  an  age  as  eighteen.  You  may  search  the  two  hemispheres 
for  another  like  her,  and  still  make  a  bootless  errand  of  it.  It 
was  an  occasion  for  a  cup,  and  a  most  reasonable  excuse  for  a 
late  nap  in  the  morning." 

"  The  sun  is  just  peering  above  the  water,  Captain,"  replied  the 
Secretary  ;  "  and  he  who  sleeps  no  later  than  sunrise,  even  with- 
out the  excuse  of  a  night  revel,  may  scarcely  be  chid  for  laziness. 
I  have  broken  in  thus  early  upon  you,  that  I  might  speak  with 
yon  on  a  matter  of  moment  to  myself.  I  want  your  counsel  and 
friendship  in  an  affair  touching  mine  honor,  Captain  Dauntrees." 

"  Ah,  is  it  there  the  wind  sits  ?  Tarry,  Master  Yerheyden, 
but  a  moment,  whilst  I  get  my  serving  man  to  truss  my  points,  I 
shall  be  with  you  anon.  An  affair  of  the  sword,  truly  !  It  is 
well  to  be  early  in  the  consideration  of  such  matters.  Matchcote, 
hark  ye  !  come  hither, — quickly,"  he  shouted  from  his  door  to  his 
valet  ;  "  come,  gather  these  points  and  set  me  abroad.  There, 
there, — now  leave  us,  and  busy  thyself' about  breakfast,  Match- 
cote,—  we  shall  have  a  relish  for  the  best  in  the  larder.  Away, 
good  fellow  I"  As  soon  as  the  servant,  in  obedience  to  this  order, 
had  left  the  apartment,  the  Captain  inquired — "  Who  have  we 
opposed  to  us,  Master  Yerheyden  ?     Do  we  take  him  with  long 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  245 

sword,  tuck,  or  rapier  ?  Where  do  we  meet  ?  But  first  begin 
the  story  at  the  beginning." 

"  That  I  propose  to  do,  Captain,"  said  the  Secretary,  smiling 
"  This  Cocklescraft,  the  master  of  the  Olive  Branch,  has  chosen 
to  conceive  himself  offended  by  a  rebuke  I  found  it  necessary  to 
give  him  for  some  unseasonable  importunity  of  our  maiden  of  the 
Rose  Croft.  It  is  almost  a  se'nnight  past,  and  he  must  needs  tax 
me  with  it,  last  night,  and  challenge  me  to  a  trial  of  manhood. 
His  challenge  grows  out  of  some  sudden  moodiness  engendered  by 
somewhat  that  vexed  him  at  the  dance.  Now,  though  I  hold  the 
skippei  is  scarce  privileged  to  exact  of  me  the  redress  of  his 
weapon,  being  of  a  base  condition  so  far  as  he  is  known  in  the 
province — yet,  Captain,  I  did  not  choose  to  be  defied  by  him,  and, 
therefore,  without  parley  or  asking  time  for  deliberation-,  accepted 
his  challenge,  wherein  it  was  appointed  to  hold  the  meeting  this 
day  at  noon  at  Cornwaleys's  Cross.  I  would  entreat  your  friend- 
ship to  stand  by  me  in  this,  appointment  ;  and,  as  I  am  unversed 
in  the  usage  of  the  duel,  your  better  experience  may  instruct  me." 

"  It  was  well  done  on  your  part,  Master  Albert, — exceeding 
well  done,"  replied  the  Captain.  "  I  applaud  you  for  a  gentle- 
man of  prompt  spirit,  and  careful  consideration  of  his  honor.  This 
same  Master  Cocklescraft  needs  such  discipline  as  you  may  teach 
him.  He  tosses  the  feather  of  his  bonnet  somewhat  more  jaunt- 
ily over  his  shoulder  than  he  has  warrant  to  do  ;  and  he  has  a  trick 
of  turning  the  buckle  of  his  belt  behind  more  frequently  than 
peaceable,  well-disposed  persons  may  choose  to  bear.  I  have 
noted  him  with  greater  strictness  than  others  in  the  port,  and 
have,  from  the  first,  written  him  down  a  dog  of  rough  breed, 
notwithstanding  his  velvet  jerkin  and  golden  tassels.  I  have  seen 
too  many  whelps  of  that  litter,  Master  Verheyden,  not  to  know 
them  when  I  meet  them.  You  did  well  to  receive  his  challenge, 
—although  one  would  hardly  have  thought  you  had  learned  as 


246  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

much  in  the  seminary  at  Antwerp.  At  noon  is  it  ?  We  have 
some  hours  before  us,  Master  Secretary,  and  may  employ  the  time 
in  practice  for  the  encounter.  I  will  give  you  some  cautions  that 
shall  stand  you  in  stead  to-day." 


CHAPTER  XX. 


He  that  fights  a  duel, 

Like  a  blind  man  that  falls,  but  cares  to  keep 
His  staff,  provides  with  art  to  save  his  honor, 
But  trusts  his  soul  to  chance:  'tis  an  ill  fashion. 

Shirley. 


Whilst  the  Secretary  was  undergoing  the  Captain's  preparatory 
training  in  the  Fort,  the  skipper  was  no  less  busy  in  making  pro- 
vision for  the  meeting.  Having  secured  the  services  of  a  second, 
he  betook  himself  on  board  of  his  vessel,  which  he  caused  to  be 
loosed  from  her  mooring  and  then  dropped  down  the  river  oppo- 
site the  creek  of  St.  Inigoe's,  where  he  anchored — his  purpose 
being  to  take  a  position  convenient  to  the  spot  chosen  for  the 
encounter,  and  to  which  he  might  proceed  without  suspicion  from 
the  townspeople. 

Cornwaleys's  Cross  was  situated  near  the  most  inland  extrem- 
ity of  a  deep  and  narrow  inlet,  known  by  the  name  of  St.  Luke's 
creek — a  branch  of  St.  Inigoe's — on  a  piece  of  meadow,  sur- 
rounded by  woods,  immediately  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of  hills,  not 
more  than  four  miles,  by  land,  from  the  port  of  St.  Mary's,  and 
about  half  that  distance  by  water  from  the  anchorage  of  the  Olive 
Branch.  This  spot  was  traditionally  notorious  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town,  as  the  scene  of  a  melancholy  event  that  had  hap- 
pened nearly  fifty  years  anterior  to  the  date  of  this  story,  in  which 
a  gentleman  of  repute  in  the  early  history  of  the  province,  Captain 
Cornwaleys,  had  the  misfortune,  on  a  hunting  excursion,  accident- 


948  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

ally  and  with  fatal  effect  to  lodge  the  contents  of  his  carbine  in 
the  bosom  of  his  friend.  The  bitterness  of  this  unhappy  gentle- 
man's grief,  unallayed  by  active  and  meritorious  service  in  the 
early  wars  of  the  colony,  induced  him,  in  the  decline  of  his  life, 
to  erect  a  hermitage  on  the  spot,  whither  he  retired,  in  obedience 
to  a  penitential  vow,  and  dedicated  the  remnant  of  his  days  to 
austere  self-denial  and  religious  devotion.  A  cross  of  locust,  now 
swayed  from  its  perpendicular  by  age,  still  reared  its  shattered 
frame  above  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  hermitage,  of  which  there 
yet  remained  a  few  mouldering  logs,  mingled  with  the  fragments 
of  the  crushed  roof,  and  the  hearth-stone  showing  the  scorches  of 
long-quenched  fires,  in  the  light  of  which  the  soldier-hermit  had 
undergone  his  painful  vigils  of  prayer.  A  certain  superstitions 
notoriety  was  thus  conferred  upon  the  place,  and  by  some  strange 
association  peculiar  to  the  habits  of  those  times,  in  which  the 
sword  and  cross  still  held  a  mystical  relation  in  the  popular 
belief,  it  had  grown  to  be  the  customary  appointed  trysting 
ground  for  those  personal  combats  which  constituted,  at  that  era, 
almost  a  lawful  and  approved  ordinance  of  society. 

In  the  vicinity  of  this  spot,  about  half  an  hour  before  noon, 
occasional  glimpses  through  the  foliage  might  have  been  had  of 
Captain  Dauntrees  and  Albert  Yerhcyden,  followed  by  Matchcote, 
the  Captain's  man, — all  mounted, — as  they  descended  the  hill  in 
the  rear  of  St.  Luke's,  by  a  winding,  gravelly  road,  partially 
overgrown  with  bay-tree,  alder,  and  laurel.  The  murmur  of 
cheerful  conversation,  and  now  and  then  an  outflash  of  audible 
mirth  in  the  voice  of  the  Captain,  for  some  moments  before  they 
arrived  at  their  halting  point,  would  have  puzzled  a  casual  hearer 
to  guess  the  nature  of  their  errand  :  and  when  they  reached  the 
level  ground  and  finally  reined  up  their  horses,  hard  by  the  old 
wind-shaken  cross,  Dauntrees  was  still  engaged  in  narrating  to  the 
Secretary  some  story  of  pleasant  interest,  which  had  evidently, 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  249 

for  the  time,  drawn  off  at  least  the  narrator's  thoughts  from  the 
main  purpose  of  the  day. 

"  By  our  patron!  Master  Verheyden,"  said  the  commander 
of  the  fort,  as  he  carefully  clambered  down  from  his  saddle  and 
drew  forth  his  watch,  "  we  have  here  reached  our  ground  before 
I  was  aware  of  it :  a  cheerful  companion  has  a  marvellous  faculty 
in  abridging  a  long  road. — The  adventures  of  this  Claude  de  la 
Chastre,  would  wear  out  a  winter  night  in  the  telling,  and  never 
a  drowsy  ear  in  the  company.  I  purpose,  on  a  fit  occasion, 
Master  Albert,  to  rehearse  to  you  more  of  that  worthy  soldier's 
exploits.  He  served  under  six  kings,  and  fought  fifteen  duels, — 
the  last  at  three  score  and  ten.  I  have  seen  his  chapel  and 
tomb  with  my  own  eyes  at  Bourges  and  his  true  effigies  cut  in 
stone." 

"  I  have  been  but  a  listener,  Captain,"  said  the  Secretary  with 
a  smile,  "  and  would  willingly  hear  more  of  that  valiant  gentleman, 
when  we  have  brought  our  own  adventures  to  an  end.  Me- 
thinks  now,  we  may  find  other  occupation  in  the  matter  we  have 
in  hand." 

"Why  as  to  that,  Master  Yerheyden,"  replied  the  Captain, 
"as  we  have  very  diligently  perpended  all  matters  relating  to  this 
meeting,  before  we  quitted  the  fort,  and  have  now  nothing  left 
to  do  but  to  wait  for  the  accolade,  the  less  thought  we  give  it  the 
better.  We  should  go  to  this  pinking  and  scratching  as  a  mum- 
bling old  priest  goes  to  mass, — even  as  a  thing  of  custom,  wherein 
there  is  but  little  premeditation  : — and  yet,  by  my  gossip,  not  ex- 
actly as  a  priest  goes  to  mass,  for  he  goes  hungry  and  dry  :  I 
would  by  no  means  have  it  so.  Here,  Matchcote,  that  flask  from 
thy  wallet  !  I  have  ever  found  that  when  an  affair  of  business 
or  sport  be  on  hand,  it  is  good  grace  to  begin  it,  first  by  devoutly 
drawing  your  sleeves,  like  a  Dutch  toper,  across  your  mouth,  and 
then  to  take  such  reasonable  and  opportune  refreshment  as  shall 
11* 


250  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

give  >a  fillip  to  the  spirit  without  clouding  the  brain.  And  so,  by 
way  of  example,  as  your  senior,  Master  Verheyden,"  he  added, 
taking  the  bottle  from  the  servant's  hand  and  applying  it  to  his 
mouth,  "here  I  drink— Good  fortune  to  our  venture  ! 

'  True  eye  and  steady  hand, 
Home  thrust  and  keen  brand,' 

as  the  rhyme  has  it.     You  will  drink,  master  ?" 

"  I  pray  you,  excuse  me,  Captain,"  replied  Albert  ;  "  my  head 
will  not  stand  so  early  a  freedom,  and,  to  say  the  truth,  I  have  no 
relish  for  food  or  drink  until  this  affair  be  done.  I  scarce  ate 
this  morning." 

"  Over-anxiousness,  Master  Secretary  !  too  eager  for  your 
first  entry  upon  the  field  of  Mars  ! — ha,  ha  ! — the  token  of  a 
green  soldier,  a  callow  martialist  ;  but  it  is  natural,  and  will  wear 
off  when  you  have  fought  half-a-dozen  of  these  bouts.  I  went 
through  it  all  myself.  In  my  'prenticeship  I  could  neither  sleep 
nor  eat — faith  !  I  will  not  say  drink — at  the  contemplation  of  a 
pitched  field,  but  was  ever  taken  up  with  the  thought  of  making 
ready.  There  was  always  some  tag  in  my  bandalier  to  be  looked 
to — some  strap  awry — some  furbishing  of  musketoon,  pike  or 
sword  to  be  cared  for  : — works  of  supererogation  !  as  the  Church 
has  it.  But  it  is  pleasant  to  behold  how  use  in  the  wars  corrects 
a  qualmish  appetite,  and  contents  one  with  his  accommodation  : 
it  teaches  the  stomach  the  custom  of  instant  service.  So  keep 
yourself  cool,  Master  Verheyden, — it  is  a  cardinal  point  of 
discretion.  And,  I  beseech  you,  be  not  fanciful  in  your  conceit 
of  skill  with  your  weapon  ;  for  though  you  play  well,  you  have 
a  swordsman  to  deal  with.  I  have  seen  some  whipsters  who 
were  over-fantastic  and  dainty  in  their  love  of  the  quarrel  ;  and 
it  was  as  much  as  their  tutors  could  do  to  bring  them  to  that 
modesty  of  opinion  which  should  put  them  on  the  necessary 
cautions  of  fence.     Such  hawklings   get   their   lesson   in   good 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  251 

time  :  this  world  has  store  of  rubbers  for  a  vaulting  temper.  I 
pray,  you,  therefore,  Master  Secretary,  bear  yourself  humbly,  as 
it  were.     Remember,  this  is  your  first  quarrel." 

"  You  shall  find  me  tractable  in  all  things,  worthy  Captain, 
to  your  better  experience." 

"I  have  seen,"  continued  Dauntrees,  "almost  as  many  of 
these  dudgeon-prickings  as  the  renowned  Claude  de  la  Chastre 
himself  ;  and  have  found,  in  nine  chances  out  of  ten,  your  cool 
and  cheery  gentleman  to  get  the  odds  of  your  choleric  hot-blood. 
I  had  a  comrade  in  Flanders  who  was  a  master  in  this  sort — and, 
by  the  bell  and  candle  !  a  priest.  A  most  comical  churchman, 
truly  !  His  name  was  Roger  O'Brien,  an  Irish  Jesuit,  and  most 
notable  for  many  perfections  both  of  the  book  and  the  sword. 
From  a  liking  to  his  old  trade — for  he  served  with  Prince  Rupert 
before  he  took  up  the  cassock — -he  must  needs,  for  a  fancy,  put 
on  the  red  eoat  again,  and  buckle  his  cheese-toaster  to  his  thigh, 
and,  in  this  disguise,  throw  himself  abroad  amongst  the  lans- 
kennets  and  swash-bucklers  of  Flanders.  There  I  met  him,  and 
we  journeyed  together  to  Paris.  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  I  saw  him  foil 
the  whole  Sorbonne  on  a  great  prize  question  !  There  was 
a  thesis  debated — a  quodlibet  wrangle  concerning  some  knot  in 
the  cobweb  of  theology — where  the  whole  world  was  challenged 
to  the  dispute.  Thereupon,  my  Irish  friend  and  myself — both  in 
our  livery— went  swaggering  in  to  see  and  hear  how  these 
Frenchmen  chopped  their  logic.  The  thesis  was  debated  in 
Latin  ;  when  presently,  to  the  amazement  of  all — myself  no  less 
than  others — up  rises  my  priest  to  say  somewhat  to  the  point. 
Well,  a  Spanish  cavalier  there  present,  thinking  my  comrade 
could  be  no  other  than  a  man  of  the  wars  in  his  cups,  rudely 
pulls  him  by  the  skirt  to  take  his  seat  ;  but  he  nowise  heeding 
this  interruption,  pressed  on  in  his  discourse,  and  poured  out  such 
a  flood  of  choice  Latin,  most  select  in  phrase  and  apt  in  argument, 


252  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

that  the  amazement  of  the  company  was  greatly  increased,  and 
our  priestly  martialist  won  the  whole  glory  of  the  day.  The 
Sorbonne  was  mute,  and  the  assembly  in  an  ecstasy  of  wonder. 
Whereupon  departing,  Father  O'Brien  touches  the  Spanish 
cavalier  upon  the  shoulder,  and  whispers  in  his  ear  a  challenge 
to  meet  him,  at  sunset,  in  the  churchyard  of  St.  Genevieve, 
which  the  Spaniard  could  not  choose  avoid.  I  went  with  my 
friend  to  the  rendezvous  ;  and  on  the  way,  amongst  other  dis- 
course touching  the  arrangement  of  the  duel,  I  shall  not  forget 
his  commendation  of  this  virtue  of  coolness,  by  which  I  have 
more  than  once  profited  :  for  he  was,  Master  Yerheyden,  a  most 
expert  swordsman,  and  singularly  versed  in  the  practique  of 
these  single  combats,  and  showed  it  too  on  that  day  ;  for  oui 
testy  Spaniard,  a  fellow  of  pepper  and  ginger,  was  whipt  through 
the  lungs  whilst  he  was  flourishing  at  a  stoccado.  Said  Father 
O'Brien  to  me, — a  man  who  plays  at  this  craft  of  phlebotomy, 
should  carry  a  light  heart  and  a  merry  eye  before  his  adversary, 
and,  like  a  rake-helly  royster  who  makes  free  of  the  commodity 
of  a  tavern,  should  give  no  thought  to  the  reckoning.  It  was 
excellent  advice,  Master  Yerheyden,  and  I  commend  it  to  your 
notice  now." 

"  I  shall  do  my  best,"  replied  the  Secretary  ;  "  and  if  I 
should  chance,  Master  Dauntrees,  to  fail  in  some  necessary  punc- 
tilio, you  will  pardon  it,  for  my  unskilfulness.  An  acolyte  of  the 
Seminary  of  Antwerp  has  but  scant  opportunity  to  make  him- 
self master  of  the  observances  of  the  duello." 

"  By  my  honor  as  a  man,  Master  Secretary,  I  have  not  seen 
amongst  the  most  practised  cavaliers,  a  gentleman  who  comes  to 
his  appointment  with  better  grace,  than  this  same  acolyte  of  the 
Seminary  of  Antwerp." 

"  You  commend  beyond  my  desert,  good  Captain,  though  I 
have   reasonable  trust  in  my  sword.     Whilst  my  Lord  tarried 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  253 

some  three  months  in  Brabant,  being  at  Louvain,  I  had  a  master 
there — an  Italian,  one  Signor  Sacchari — who  taught  me  to  ride 
the  great  Jiorse  and  manage  my  weapon,  both  rapier  and  long- 
sword.  And,  to  say  sooth, — though  it  should  shame  me  to 
confess  it, — I  do  not  dislike  this  quarrel  with  the  skipper.  I  do 
not  perceive, — and  yet  I  may  misjudge  the  world's  opinion, — 
but  I  do  not  perceive  how  I  may  be  blamed  for  taking  up  this 
quarrel.  I  tell  you  truly,  Master  Dauntrees,"  added  the  Secre- 
tary, blushing,  "  and  would  beg  you  say  so — to  her,  Master 
Dauntrees— if  adverse  fortune  should  befall  me  on  this  ground 
to-day — that  I  would  gladly  encounter  for  Mistress  Blanche,  our 
maiden  of  the  Rose  Croft,  a  sharper  war  and  more  perilous  hazard 
than  this  single  combat  with  a  rude  and  boisterous  seaman  ;  and 
now,  with  right  good  will  I  seek  to  do  her  honor  against  the 
body  of  this  unruly  skipper.  Say  so  to  her,  I  pray  you,  good 
Captain  Dauntrees." 

"Tush,  man,  you  heed  not  my  preaching  !  When  you  go 
to  dying  speeches,  it  is  summing  up  of  the  reckoning.  A  fig's 
end  for  the  message  !  you  shall  bear  it  to  the  maiden  yourself. — 
Blame  you,  Master  Secretary  !  Who  would  blame,  I  would  fain 
know,  a  brave  man  who  does  battle  for  so  peerless  a  maiden  ? 
By  my  manhood  !  I  think  that  nothing  short  of  the  maiden 
herself  will  be  fit  guerdon  for  this  exploit.  He  was  a  wise  and 
a  courteous  king,  as  the  ballad  feigns  him,  that  gave  his  daughter 
to  the  brave  knight  who  overthrew  his  adversary  in  combat. 
]S~ow  I  will  take  on  me  to  say  that  no  king  of  the  ballad  ever  had 
more  need  to  be  rid  of  a  pestilent  suitor  to  his  daughter,  than 
our  worshipful  friend,  old  Anthony  Warden,  has  to  be  free  of 
this  sea-dog.  You  shall  fairly  win  a  most  fair  meed  :  and  here, 
once  more,  I  do  you  honor  in  a  sup,  with  this  pledge — 

May'st  thou  richly  wear 

The  meed  thou  winn'st  so  fair! 


254  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

There's  verse  for  it — halting  verse,  ha,  ha  !  Master  Yerheyden, 
but  of  an  honest  coinage  :  it  comes  from  thine  and  the  maiden's 
well-wisher."  And  with  this  flash  of  merriment,  the  Captain 
again  plied  the  flask,  and  spent  some  moments  laughing  at  his 
jest,  when  he  suddenly  ceased  with  the  remark,  "  I  hear  the  stroke 
of  oars — this  Master  Cocklescraft  is  at  hand.  He  is  punctual, 
for  it  is  just  noon.     We  shall  see  him  anon." 

It  was  as  the  Captain  said  :  for  at  that  moment  Cocklescraft, 
attended  by  two  followers,  was  seen  coming  up  from  the  margin 
of  St.  Luke's,  across  the  meadow,  to  the  place  appointed  for  the 
combat. 

Cocklescraft's  bearing  was  stern  ;  his  brow  high  charged  with 
passion,  and  a  keeu  resentment  flashed  from  his  eye  as  he  ad- 
vanced into  the  presence  of  his  adversary.  A  slight  salute  passed 
between  the  combatants,  and  for  some  moments  each  party  drew 
aside.  ' 

In  the  presence  of  his  antagonist  Dauntrees's  whole  deport- 
ment was  changed.  He  had  heretofore,  as  we  have  seen,  assumed 
a  cheerful  vein  of  intercourse  with  his  principal,  considerately 
adapted  with  a  view  to  amuse  his  mind  and  give  him  the  necessary 
assurance  which  the  successful  conduct  of  the  enterprise  required 
— a  labor,  however,  which  was  in  no  degree  rendered  necessary 
by  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  as  it  was  very  apparent  that  the 
Secretary,  although  a  novice  in  the  practice  of  the  quarrel,  was 
altogether  self-possessed,  and  even  eager  for  the  issue.  The 
Captain,  however,  was  not  slow  to  perceive  that  there  was  still 
in  his  carriage  that  hurried  motion  and  too  anxious  restlessness 
which  betokened  the  novelty  of  the  situation  in  which  he  found 
himself,  and  the  earnestness  of  his  desire  to  acquit  himself  to 
the  satisfaction  of  his  own  feelings.  Through  all  this  cheerful 
colloquy  of  the  Captain,  Albert's  manner  was  grave,  and  scarce 
responded   to   his  companion's   merriment  ;  but   now   that    the 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  255 

moment  of  action  arrived,  he  grew  apparently  more  light-heart- 
ed ;  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  Dauntrees  became  serious,  and 
addressed  himself  to  the  business  in  hand,  like  a  careful  and  prov- 
ident man, 

"  The  skipper  is  surly,"  said  Dauntrees,  as  he  stood  apart 
with  the  Secretary,  wiping  the  sword  that  was  to  be  used  by  his 
friend.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  it :  it  denotes  passion.  Receive  the 
assault  from  him  ;  stand  on  your  defence,  giving  ground  slightly 
to  his  advance  :  then  suddenly,  when  you  have  whipped  him  to  a 
rage,  as  you  will  surely  do,  give  back  the  attack  hotly  ;  follow 
it  up,  as  you  did  this  morning  in  practice  with  me,  and  you  will 
hardly  fail  to  find  him  at  disadvantage  ;  then  thrust  home — for 
the  shorter  you  make  this  quarrel  the  better  for  your  strength." 

"I  am  more  at  my  ease  in  this  play  than  you  think  me," 
replied  Albert,  smiling  ;  "  you  shall  find  it  so.  Pray  let  us  go 
to  our  business." 

The  Captain,  with  two  rapiers  in  his  hand,  advanced  to  the 
ground  occupied  by  Cocklescraft  and  his  friends. 

"  I  would  be  acquainted  with  your  second,  Master  Cockles- 
craft,"  he  said.     "  Here  are  our  swords  :   shall  we  measure  ?" 

"  Master  Roche  del  Carmine,"  replied  the  skipper,  as  he 
presented  a  swarthy  Portuguese  seaman,  the  mate  of  the  Olive 
Branch  ;  "  this  other  companion  is  but  a  looker  on." 

"  I  would  you  had  matched  me,"  replied  Dauntrees,  hastily, 
and  with  some  show  of  displeasure,  "  with  an  antagonist  of  better 
degree,  Master  Skipper,  than  this  mate  of  yours.  He  was  but 
a  boatswain  within  the  year  past.  Our  quality  deserved  that 
you  should  sort  us  with  gentlemen,  at  least." 

"  Gentlemen  !"  exclaimed  the  Portuguese  in  a  passion  ;  "  St 
Salvadore  !  are  we  not  gentlemen  enough  for  you.  We  belong 
to  the  Coast — " 

"Peace,  sirrah!"   hastily   interrupted  Cocklescraft:  "prate 


256  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

not  here — leave  me  to  speak  !  Master  Roche  Del  Carmine  is 
my  follower,  not  my  second,  farther  than  as  your  bearing,  Master 
Dauntrees,  may  render  one  needful  to  me.  I  came  hither  to 
make  my  own  battle." 

"  I  came  to  this  field,"  replied  Danntrees,  "  prepared  with 
my  sword  to  make  good  the  quarrel  of  my  friend  against  any 
you  might  match  me  with.  So,  second  or  follower,  bully  or 
bravo  at  your  heels,  Master  Cocklescraft,  I  will  fight  with  this 
Master  Roche." 

"  That  is  but  a  boy's  play,  and  I  will  none  of  it,  Captain 
Dauntrees,"  said  Cocklescraft,  angrily.  "  This  custom  of  making 
parties  brings  the  quarrel  to  an  end  at  the  first  drawing  of  blood. 
I  wish  no  respite  upon  a  scratch  ;  my  demand  stops  not  short  of 
a  mortal  strife." 

"My  sword,  sir  !"  said  Albert  Yerheyden,  hastily  striding 
up  to  the  Captain  and  seizing  his  sword.  "  This  is  my  quarrel 
alone  ;  Captain  Dauntrees,  you  strike  no  blow  in  it.  Upon  your 
guard,  sir  !"  he  added,  whilst  his  eye  flashed  fire,  and  his  whole 
figure  was  lighted  up  with  the  animation  of  his  anger.  "  To 
your  guard  !  I  will  have  no  parley  !" 

"Are  you  bereft?"  exclaimed  Dauntrees,  interposing  with  his 
sword  between  the  parties,  and  looking  the  Secretary  steadfastly 
in  the  face.  "Back,  Master  Yerheyden,  this  quarrel  must  pro- 
ceed orderly." 

Then  conducting  his  principal  some  paces  off,  the  other  yield- 
ing to  his  guidance,  he  again  cautioned  him  against  losing  his 
self-command  by  such  bursts  of  passion.  The  Secretary  prom- 
ised obedience,  and  begged  him  to  proceed. 

"  Go  to  it,  in  cuerpo — strip  to  your  shirt,  Master  Albert !" 
said  the  Captain.  When  the  Secretary  had,  in  obedience  to 
this  order,  thrown  aside  his  cloak  and  doublet,  and  come  to  the 
spot  designated  by  his  second  as  his  position  in  the  fight,  Dann- 


KOB     OF     THE     BOWL.  251 

trees  once  more  approached  the  opposite  party,  went  through 
the  formal  ceremony  of  measuring  swords,  and  then  returned  and 
placed  the  weapon  in  Albert's  hand,  at  the  same  time  draw- 
ing his  own  and  planting  himself  within  a  few  paces  of  his  friend. 

"  We  are  ready,  sir  !"  he  said,  bowing  to  the  skipper's 
attendant. 

Cocklescraft  lost  no  time  in  taking  his  ground  ;  Master  Roche 
del  Carmine  carefully  keeping  out  of  the  way  of  harm  from  any 
party. 

The  onset  was  made  by  the  skipper  with  an  energy  that 
almost  amounted  to  rage,  and  it  was  with  a  most  lively  interest, 
not  unmingled  with  pleasure,  that  Dauntrees  watched  the  eye  of 
Albert  Verheyden,  and  saw  it  playing  with  an  expression  of 
confidence  and  self-command  whilst,  with  admirable  dexterity, 
he  parried  his  antagonist's  assault. 

"  Bravo  !"  exclaimed  Dauntrees,  more  than  once  during  this 
anxious  moment.  "  To  it,  Master  Yerheyden  !  passado — hotly, 
master  !"  he  cried  aloud,  at  the  same  time  nourishing  his  own 
blade  above  his  head  when  he  saw  Albert  return  the  attack  with 
great  animation  upon  his  adversary,  who  was  thus  compelled 
to  give  ground. 

This  rapid  exchange  of  thrust  and  parry  was  suddenly 
arrested  by  the  sword  of  the  skipper  being  struck  from  his 
hand.  The  Secretary  had  disarmed  him,  and  instead  of  follow- 
ing up  his  advantage,  generously  halted  and  brought  the  point 
of  his   own  sword  to   the  ground. 

"  The  fight  is  done  ;  we  hold  you,  sir,  at  mercy  !"  said  Daun- 
trees, promptly  interposing,  and  placing  his  foot  upon  the  skipper's 
rapier.  "  Master  Verheyden  has  come  hither  upon  your  chal- 
lenge ;  you  will  acknowledge  that  your  life  is  in  his  hands.  You 
have  had  your  satisfaction,  sir." 

As  the   Captain  said  this  he  stepped  one  pace  aside,  and 


258  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

Cocklescraft  at  the  same  instant  picked  up  the  rapier  from  the 
ground,  and  madly  called  oat  for  a  renewal  of  the  fight,  as  with 
extended  arm  he  presented  himself  again  upon  his  guard. 

"  Instead  of  the  favor  that  has  been  shown  you  in  sparing 
your  worthless  life,  you  deserve  to  be  cloven  to  the  chine  for  this 
dastardly  bravado  !"  exclaimed  Dauntrees,  as  his  spirit  suddenly 
kindled  into  wrath,  notwithstanding  the  advice  he  had  given 
the  Secretary  to  keep  his  temper.  "  Out  upon  thee  for  a  dis- 
grace to  thy  calling  !"  he  added,  in  a  tone  of  angry  reproof,  as 
advancing  nearer  to  the  skipper  he  struck  the  extended  rapier 
with  a  dexterous  underblow  and  made  it  spin  in  the  air  above  his 
head ;  "I  could  almost  find  it  in  my  conscience  to  spit  thee 
upon  my  sword." 

"By  the  Virgin,  I  will  not  see  my  captain  put  upon  !"  said 
Roche  del  Carmine,  as  he  now  advanced  towards  the  combat- 
ants, though  still  keeping  a  respectable  space  between  himself 
and  the  Captain,  whose  skill  of  fence  he  had  no  mind  to  try. 

"  Nor  I  !"  exclaimed  the  other  attendant,  at  the  same  time 
drawing  his  hanger  and  shouting,  "  Whoop,  Master  Cockles- 
craft  !  Perros,  a  la  savanna  !  For  the  Brothers  of  the  Coast  ! — 
let  them  have  it  in  the  fashion  of  the  Costa  Rica  !" 

<:  Caitiffs  1"  vociferated  Dauntrees,  as  he  and  Albert  Yer- 
heyden  now  sprang  forward  to  engage  with  the  attendants 

"  Back  to  your  boat,  you  knaves  !  is  it  thus  you  serve  me  ?" 
interposed  Cocklescraft,  thrusting  his  officious  followers  aside, 
and  then  whispering  to  the  mate,  "  there  is  an  end  of  it — be- 
gone !" 

"  By  my  sword,  but  here  is  a  crossing  of  our  plot  !"  exclaimed 
Dauntrees,  on  looking  towards  the  range  of  upland  over  which 
the  road  towards  the  town  lay,  and  discovering  no  less  a  per- 
sonage than  the  Proprietary  and  Father  Pierre  approaching 
them  on  horseback  ;  "  we  have  been  informed  on  and  tracked. 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  259 

Thanks  to  our  luck  !  his  Lordship  may  do  nothing  better  than 
rail  against  us,  as  is  his  wont.  He  has  ever  had  a  quick  nose  to 
scent  out  a  duel — ay,  and  a  nimble  tongue,  Master  Yerheyden, 
to  reprove  one  :  this  is  not  my  first  experience  of  his  reprimand. 
We  shall  have  it  without  stint  presently." 

"To  the  boat,  quickly,  and  put  off!''  said  Cocklescraft,  with 
a  sullen  angry  tone  to  his  companions.  "  I  may  find  another 
day  to  right  myself,"  he  muttered,  as  he  gathered  up  his  sword, 
cloak,  and  hat,  and,  with  a  moody  swagger,  hurriedly  strode 
towards  his  boat  which  lay  in  a  direction  opposite  to  that  from 
which  the  Proprietary  was  hastening  towards  the  scene.  In  a 
few  moments  he  had  embarked,  and  was  seen  shooting  along  the 
glassy  surface  of  St.  Luke's  until  he  was  speedily  lost  to  view  by 
rounding  one  of  the  turns  of  the  creek.  In  the  mean  time  Lord 
Baltimore  and  the  priest  arrived  on  the  ground  of  the  combat 
before  the  Secretary  had  yet  resumed  his  doublet. 

"  Ah,  my  son,  my  son  !"  exclaimed  the  good  Father  Pierre, 
as  he  pricked  his  steed  forward  in  advance  of  the  Proprietary, 
and  made  haste  to  alight  and  throw  his  arms  around  Albert's 
neck,  kissing  his  cheeks,  whilst  the  tears  flowed  down  his  own  ; 
"  my  son  Albert,  how  could  you  be  so  unmindful  of  poor  Father 
Pierre,  to  give  him  all  this  pain  ?  We  saw  swords  flashing  in 
the  sun,  and  heard  the  clank  of  steel.  Are  you  hurt,  my  son  ? 
You  look  pale." 

"I  am  not  hurt,  Father,  more  than  that  I  am  pained  to  see 
you  here,"  replied  the  Secretary,  as  he  affectionately  placed  his 
arm  across  the  old  man's  shoulders  ;  "  our  quarrel  has  ended 
without  the  shedding  of  blood." 

"  Albert  Yerheyden,"  said  the  Proprietary  gravely,  reining 
up  beside  the  young  man,  "  I  take  it  much  amiss  that  one  of 
my  household  should  dare  to  contemn  the  laws  of  this  province 
b ;  coming  forth  to  such  appointment  as  I  find  you  concerned  in 


260  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

here;-  I  had  reason  to  hope  for  the  setting  of  good  example 
from  him  whom  I  chose  for  my  secretary  ;  but  I  find  you  foster- 
ing an  evil  usage  which  is  worthy  no  better  countenance  than 
such  as  it  hath  gained  from  hot-bloods  and  rnfflers.  Fie  on 
thee,  Albert  !  Is  it  for  thee,  who  hast  but  lately  changed  thy 
square  cloister-bonnet  for  the  feathery  gewgaw  of  a  page — is  it 
for  thee  to  play  at  bilbo  and  buff  like  a  common  royster  ?  Have 
we  no  shallow-pated  coxcomb  with  the  privilege  of  wearing  a 
sword,  who,  for  lack  of  other  quality  to  be  noted  by,  hath 
learned  a  trick  to  vapor  and  strut,  and  swear  filthy  oaths,  and 
break  God's  commandments  and  men's  peace  with  his  bloody 
broils,  but  that  a  scholar  and  gentleman,  nursed  in  all  kindly 
studies — ay,  and  who  hath  been  reared,  Master  Yerheyden, 
within  the  pale  of  the  altar — must  needs  turn  buckler-man 
with  a  rude  sea-rover,  and  quarrel  and  strike  as  in  an  ale-house 
fray  ?     Oh,  it  cloth  grieve  me  to  find  you  thus  !" 

"  My  honored  Lord,"  replied  Albert,  not  venturing  to  raise 
his  eyes  from  the  ground,  "I  do  confess  my  fault,  which  with 
forethought  and  weighing  of  all  consequence,  except  my  Lord's 
displeasure,  I  did  commit.  I  was  called  hither  by  such  defiance 
as  it  would  not  have  consisted  with  my  manhood  to  refuse.  I 
have  sought  no  companionship  with  the  skipper,  nor  knew  that; 
such  man  was,  till  within  a  week — and  even  now  was  prone  to 
slight  him  off,  as  one  not  worthy  of  my  resentment  ;  but,  my 
good  Lord,  venturing  to  presume  upon  my  cloistered  schooling 
and  my  unskilfulness  with  my  sword,  he  must  taunt  with  a 
question  of  my  courage,  and  defy  me  hither." 

"  And  if  a  fellow  who  lives  upon  the  element  of  his  own 
brawls,  must  take  a  conceit  tc  exalt  his  base  condition  by  having 
a  contest  with  his  betters,  shall  he  compass  it  by  bragging  words 
and  bullying  questions  ?  Does  it  mend  his  manners,  or  exalt 
your  deservings,  to  hav«  a  pass  with  him  on' the  greensward? 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  261 

Would  it  comfort  you  to  bring  away  from  this  field  a  hand  red 
with  his  blood  ?  Captain  Dauntrees,  how  comes  it  to  pass  that 
I  see  you  here  ?  Your  age  should  have  given  you  the  privilege 
to  be  a  peace-maker,  not  the  fomenter  of  a  quarrel." 

"  My  Lord,"  said  the  Captain,  folding  his  arms  across  his 
breast  and  advancing  one  foot  to  give  a  more  sturdy  fixedness  to 
his  attitude,  whilst  an  expression  half  comic  lurked  in  his  eye, 
"  I  am  an  old  ban-dog  that  has  been  chidden  too  often  for  bark- 
ing to  heed  reproof  in  my  old  age.  Your  Lordship  hath  the 
credit  of  a  persevering  spirit  to  abolish  the  duello  within  the 
province  ;  I  foretell  you  will  even  give  over  before  your  work  is 
done  :  it  were  but  lost  pains,  if  I  might  be  so  bold -as  to  say  so 
— at  least  until  your  Lordship  shall  find  a  more  mannerly  brood 
of  lieges.  By  the  mass  !  we  shall  win  sainthood  for  our  patience, 
if,  in  these  saucy  times,  we  may  reach  such  perfection  of  humility 
as  to  brook  the  insolences  of  some  of  your  Lordship's  hopeful 
children  of  the  province.  The  skipper  was  rude  to  our  Mistress 
Blanche, — and  the  Secretary,  like  a  cavalier,  such  as  becomes 
your  Lordship's  household,  rebuked  him  for  it  ;  and  thereupon 
grew  a  considered  challenge,  which  Master  Verheyden  accepting, 
as,  in  my  poor  judgment,  he  could  not  otherwise  do,  I  came  hither 
with  him  to  see  fair  play.  It  is  well  I  did — for,  to  my  thinking, 
this  seaman  would  not  have  stopped  at  any  measure  of  treachery. 
He  has  a  deep  hate  against  the  Secretary,  and  the  lesson  Master 
Yerheyden  has  taught  him  will  not  much  sweeten  his  humor." 

"  Thy  profession,  Captain  Dauntrees,  gives  thee  a  license 
which  makes  it  but  lost  breath  to  chide  thee,"  said  the  Proprie- 
tary calmly,  nowise  offended  with  the  soldier's  familiar  and  rebel- 
lious good  nature  ;  "  and,  to  say  the  truth,  there  is  much  rude 
speech  and  provoking  action  to  tempt  even  a  more  governed  man 
into  quarrel ;  yet  I  would  not  have  you  believe  that  I  take  this 
transgression  so  lightly.     Albert  Yerheyden,  you  will  incur  my 


262  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

deepest  displeasure,  if,  under  any  pretext  or  advice,  you  farther 
prosecute  this  feud.  Captain  Dauntrees,  I  command  you  to  look 
to  it,  and  charge  you  to  arrest  the  first  who  seeks  to  revive  the 
quarrel." 

"  On  the  faith  of  my  love  to  your  Lordship,"  replied  Albert, 
"I  promise  that  I  will  not  again  offend." 

"  My  dear  son,"  interposed  the  priest,  still  holding  the  Secre- 
tary's hand,  "  my  experience  has  long  admonished  me,  that  to 
preach  restraint  upon  the  desires  of  the  young  is  but  struggling 
up  the  channel  of  a  torrent  :  it  is  hard  to  teach  patience  under 
wrong  to  those  whose  blood  is  hot  with  the  fever  of  passion. 
Still,  mon  enfant,  though  I  may  not  hope  to  persuade  you — for 
verily  I  know  the  censure  of  the  world  leaves  to  a  temper  such  as 
thine  no  choice  but  obedience  to  the  law  of  custom — still,  my 
dear  son,  you  will  sometimes,  perhaps,  take  old  Father  Pierre's 
words  to  heart :  he  would  entreat  you  to  reflect,  that  although 
offence  may  abound,  and  the  fashion  of  men's  opinions  may 
set  disgrace  upon  the  refusal  to  right  a  contrived  wrong ;  and 
though  the  pride  of  manhood  may  take  pleasure  in  strife — yea, 
even  though  thy  conscience  shall  tell  thee  of  a  just  cause,  and 
worthy  of  vindication  by  the  sword — yet  the  heroism  of  suffering 
hath  better  acceptation  with  Heaven  than  all  the  heroism  of 
action.  Do  not  forget  neither,  my  dear  Master  Albert,  that  you 
are  linked  in  this  world  with  others,  whose  right  to  you  and  to 
your  affections  you  dare  not  violate  but  at  the  hazard  of  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  God  who  placed  you  here  and  gave  you  to  your 
kind.  How  should  Father  Pierre  have  borne  the  bereavement 
of  his  son,  if  your  adversary  had  chanced  to  be  too  skilful  for 
your  defence  ?  There  is  yet  another,"  said  the  good  priest,  draw- 
ing nigh  to  the  Secretary's  ear  and  speaking  almost  in  a  whisper, 
"  who  takes  this  peril  even  more  to  heart  than  Father  Pierre. 
Ah,  Master  Albert,  you  did  not  think  of  them  that  loved  you  !" 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  263 

The  Secretary  blushed  at  the  last  allusion  of  the  priest,  as  he 
hurriedly  replied,  "Father,  it  is  over  now — let  us  say  no  more 
about  it." 

"  There,  the  truce  is  made  !"  said  the  old  man,  exultingly, 
whilst  he  grasped  Albert  by  the  hand  and  shook  it,  a  smile  play- 
ing amongst  the  tears  that  stood  in  his  eyes  :  "  we  have  made 
a  truce — benedicite  !  We  shall  be  as  happy  and  as  gay  as  ever  ! 
Allons,  mon  enfant,  put  on  your  cloak,  and  get  you  to  your  horse. 
My  Lord,  we  shall  reserve  our  scolding  for  another  time." 

"  Get  back  to  my  house,  Master  Yerheyden,"  said  the  Pro- 
prietary in  a  quiet  tone,  not  heeding  the  appeal  to  him,  but 
with  a  thoughtful  and  serious  manner,  which  stood  in  marked 
opposition  to  the  light  and  laughing  air  of  the  priest.  "  Captain 
Dauntrees,  do  not  tarry  on  this  field,  but  follow  us  back  to  the 
port.     Come  on,  Father  Pierre,  the  day  is  wasting." 

In  a  moment  the  Captain  and  Secretary  were  left  to  them- 
selves. 

"  Nay,  never  take  on,  Master  Yerheyden,  nor  fall  into  dumps," 
said  Dauntrees,  observing  that  his  companion  felt  the  silent  dis- 
pleasure of  the  Proprietary.  "It  is  ever  thus  with  his  Lordship, 
who,  from  his  cradle,  I  believe,  has  set  his  heart  to  the  extirpa- 
tion of  our  noble  art  of  self-defence.  A  conceit  of  his  which 
does  no  harm.  His  face  will  be  sunny  again  to-morrow — never 
heed  it." 

"  I  cannot  see  that  I  have  done  wrong,"  replied  Albert,  with 
a  sigh  ;  "  I  would  not  offend  his  Lordship." 

"  Tut,  man,  if  you  watched  his  eye,  you  would  have  seen  in  a 
corner  of  it,  that  he  likes  you  all  the  better  for  this  day's  hazard. 
Xow  to  horse  !" 

The  combatants  mounted  and  rode  at  a  moderate  pace  to 
the  town. 


CHAPTER  XXT. 


I  read  you  by  your  bugle  horn, 

And  by  your  palfrey  good : 

I  read  you  for  a  Ranger  sworn 

To  keep  the  king's  greenwood. 

"With  burnished  brand  and  musketoon 

So  gallantly  you  come, 

I  read  you  for  a  bold  dragoon 

That  lists  the  tuck  of  drum. 

Scott. 


The  skipper  returned  to  his  vessel  in  no  gentle  mood,  for,  in  the 
language  of  the  ballad,  "  an  angry  man  was  he."  Springing 
alertly  from  the  small  boat  to  the  deck  of  the  brigantine,  he 
peevishly  flung  down  his  weapon  and  cloak,  and  paced  to  and 
fro,  with  a  hurried  step,  for  some  moments  in  silence.  "  Give  me 
drink  ! — some  wine  !"  he  exclaimed  at  length  ;  and  when  a  boy, 
in  obedience  to  this  order,  brought  him  what  he  had  called  for, 
and  he  had  put  the  liquid  to  his  lips,  he  shouted  in  a  tone  that 
made  the  lad  tremble,  as  he  threw  the  glass  upon  the  deck  and 
shivered  it  into  fragments,  "  Knave  !  why  dost  thou  bring  me  this 
weak  stuff?  I  would  have  aqua  vita?,  fool  !"  The  stronger 
potation  being  supplied,  he  eagerly  swallowed  a  draught,  and 
threw  himself  upon  the  seat  at  the  stern  of  the  vessel,  where,  for 
a  considerable  space,  he  sat  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  broad 
field  of  water  around  him.  By  degrees  the  fever  of  his  passion 
subsided  into  a  sullen  thoughtfulness,  and  he  began  to  meditate, 
with  a  more  self-possessed  consistency  of  view,  over  the  condition 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  265 

of  his  affairs.  He  recurred  to  the  slight  put  upon  him  by  the 
maiden,  the  Secretary's  reproof,  the  contemptuous  and  insulting 
rejection  of  his  suit  by  the  Collector,  and,  bitterest  of  all  these 
topics  of  exacerbation,  his  defeat  in  the  duel  by  an  antagonist 
■whose  prowess  he  had  persuaded  himself  to  hold  in  derision. 
Verheyden's  triumph  over  him,  as  he  was  obliged  to  confess  it, 
struck  like  an  arrow  into  his  heart  :  that  so  light  and  dainty  a 
minion,  as  he  deemed  the  Secretary,  might  win  such  a  victory, 
and  then  boast  of  it  to  the  maiden  ! — this  reflection  wrought  up 
to  fire  the  ardor  of  his  hatred  and  brought  his  meditation  to  one 
stern  conclusion — that  of  revenge. 

"  I  renounce  them,  their  tribe  and  generation  !"  he  said, 
mutteringly.  "  From  this  day  forth,  I  renounce  them  and  all 
they  consort  with — Anthony  Warden  and  his  associates  ;  yes — 
his  Lordship  and  the  rest.  I  abjure  all  fellowship  with  them, 
but  such  fellowship  as  my  sword  may  maintain.  The  maiden  ! — 
not  so  fast,  master  !"  he  continued  with  a  smile  that  betrayed 
the  true  devil  of  his  nature  :  "  scornful  mistress,  it  would  be 
over  charitable  to  give  thee  up.  Bonny  damsel,  thou  shalt 
dance  a  corant  yet  to  my  bidding — and  on  the  deck  of  my  merry 
Escalfador  ;  but  it  shall  be  beneath  a  warmer  sun  than  thy  pride 
has  been  nursed  in :  by  my  hand,  you  shall,  wench,  if  there  be 
virtue  in  these  honest  cut-throats  of  mine  !  And  Master  Col- 
lector shall  be  cared  for.  I  thank  thee,  Father  Pierre,  for  thy 
considerateness : — didst  thou  not  let  me  into  a  secret  touching 
the  royal  order?  Faith,  did  you,  holy  father  !  and  I  will  make 
profit  of  it.  Oh,  this  excellent  church  quarrel  too  !  I  will  join 
Master  Chiseldine  and  Coode,  and  teach  them  devilish  inven- 
tions !  Ha  !  that's  a  thought  worth  the  nursing — Coode  and 
the  Fendalls  !  We  shall  have  blows  struck  ;  we  shall  have  good 
store   of    cutlass    and    hanger-work,    pistol-play   and    dagger ! 

Bravo  !  there  will  be  feasting  for  a  hungry  man  !     To  it,  pell- 
12 


266  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

mell,  like  gentlemen  of  the  Coast — sink,  burn,  blow  up — stab  and 
hack — ravish  and  run  !  St.  Iago,  but  there  is  a  merry  sequence 
for  you  !  Why  need  the  Brotherhood  hover  over  the  nestlings 
of  Peru,  when  v/e  have  such  dainty  devilries  in  the  temperate 
zone  ?  I  will  straight  about  this  plot  of  mischief,  whilst  my 
blood  is  warm  enough  to  hatch  it.  Ho  !  Roche  !  order  me  two 
men  into  the  shallop — I  would  visit  the  port." 

Whilst  the  skipper,  in  this  amiable  temper,  was  making  his 
way  towards  the  town,  I  may  take  the  opportunity  to  give  my 
reader  a  brief  history  of  certain  persons  and  events  with  which 
our  tale  is  now  connected. 

Josias  Fcndall,  when  Cromwell  had  seized  upon  the  Proprie- 
tary's rights  in  Maryland,  had  the  address  to  obtain  the  appoint- 
ment of  Lieutenant-Greneral  of  the  province,  which  he  held  under 
this  authority,  until,  by  an  act  of  treachery  to  those  who  had 
procured  his  preferment,  he  was  able  to  secure  to  himself  the 
same  post  by  the  commission  of  Cecilius,  who,  in  the  decline  of 
Cromwell's  power,  found  the  government  restored  to  its  rightful 
owner.  Having,  in  turn,  attempted  to  betray  the  Proprietary, 
and  to  usurp  an  independent  control  in  the  Province,  he 
was  expelled  from  office  ;  in  consequence  of  which  he  was  en- 
gaged in  a  rebellion  which,  after  a  troublesome  contest,  ended  in 
his  banishment.  The  clemency  of  the  Proprietary  eventually 
restored  him  to  his  home,  where,  before  the  lapse  of  many  months, 
he  fell  into  his  old  practices  and  again  embroiled  himself  with 
the  authorities.  He  was  a  man  of  an  eager,  seditious  temper  ; 
a  skilful  dissembler  in  conduct  ;  bold  in  action  and  dissolute  in 
manners,  although  sufficiently  crafty  to  conceal  his  excesses  from 
public  observation.  He  was  now,  in  his  old  age,  the  ringleader 
of  the  present  troubles  ;  and  some  months  anterior  to  the  open- 
ing of  this  narrative,  his  threats  of  violence  against  the  Proprie- 
tary, as  well  as  certain  well-founded  suspicions  of  a  design  to 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  267 

overthrow  the  provincial  government  by  force,  had  led  to  hia 
arrest  for  treason.  He  was,  consequently,  as  we  have  hinted  in 
a  former  chapter,  at  this  moment,  a  close  prisoner  in  the  jail. 
His  brother,  Samuel  Fendall,  upon  this  event,  took  upon  himself 
to  stir  up  his  friends  to  the  enterprise  of  a  rescue  ;  but  this  had 
produced  no  better  result  than  to  lodge  Samuel  in  the  same  prison 
with  his  kinsman.  The  Protestant  party, — I  mean  that  portion 
of  them  who  had  been  active  in  sustaining  the  violent  measures 
set  on  foot  by  the  Fendalls, — headed  by  John  Coode,  Kenelm 
Chiseldine,  and  some  others,  hotly  resented  this  persecution,  as 
they  deemed  the  imprisonment  of  their  friends.  They  had 
seduced  into  their  association  George  Godfrey,  a  weak-minded 
yet  daring  man,  who  held  the  post  of  Lieutenant  of  the  Rangers 
in  the  service  of  the  Proprietary,  and  who  in  this  station  found 
many  secret  opportunities  to  promote  the  purposes  of  the  malcon- 
tent party.  John  Coode  himself  was,  at  this  epoch,  smarting 
under  the  exasperation  of  a  personal  indignity  which  he  had  re- 
cently received  from  the  Proprietary  in  an  arrest — from  which 
he  was  released  upon  bail — for  coarse  and  insulting  conduct  to 
the  Chancellor.  He  had  hitherto  cunningly  avoided  or  success- 
fully concealed  all  open  participation  in  the  plot  which  was  hatch- 
ing against  the  present  domination  of  the  province,  although  he 
had  not,  as  we  have  heretofore  seen,  escaped  the  suspicion  of 
foul  designs.  He  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses,  and, 
in  the  session  which  had  just  terminated,  had  rendered  himself 
conspicuous  for  a  keen,  vindictive,  and  (as  he  was  sustained  by 
the  popular  party)  successful  war  of  vituperation  against  Lord 
Baltimore  and  his  council. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  this  Captain  John  Coode, 
according  to  a  custom  which  he  was  prone  to  indulge,  was  found 
seated  on  a  bench  that  stood  at  the  door  of  the  Crow  and 
Archer,  recreating;  his  outward  man  with  the  solace  of  a  tankard 


268  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

of  ale  and  a  pipe,  whilst  his  inward  self  was  absorbed  with  a 
rumination  that  spread  its  bland  repose  over  every  lineament 
of  his  ruddy  and  somewhat  pimpled  visage.  A  limner  who  took 
pleasure  in  the  study  of  the  externals  of  character  would  have 
halted  with  satisfaction  before  this  notable  personage.  He  might 
have  been,  at  this  epoch,  about  forty-five.  His  figure  was  sturdy, 
broad  in  the  chest,  and  supported  by  short  and  bowed  legs.  His 
face  had  that  jollity  of  aspect  which  comes  from  an  unthrifty 
commerce  with  the  wine-cup  ;  and  his  eye,  though  somewhat 
clouded  and.  sensitive  to  the  light,  twinkled  with  a  sharp  expres- 
sion of  cunning  and  malice.  His  dress  was  of  sober  brown,  re- 
taining a  general  resemblance  to  the  fashion  of  Cromwell's  day, 
which  had  not  yet  fallen  into  entire  disuse.  It  was  composed  of 
a  coat  the  skirts  of  which,  sparingly  decorated  with  black  braid, 
depended,  both  in  front  and  rear,  to  the  knee  ;  ample  breeches 
and  wide  boots  ;  conical,  broad-brimmed  hat,  and  a  double-hilted 
Andrew  Ferrara  hanging  from  a  leathern  girdle. 

At  the  moment  I  have  introduced  him  to  the  view  of  my 
reader,  his  meditation  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  a  horse- 
man,— a  tall,  athletic  person,  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  equipped 
partly  iu  the  manner  of  a  wood  ranger,  as  was  indicated  by  the 
hatchet  and  knife  in  his  belt  and  the  carbine  slung  across  his 
shoulder,  and  partly  in  that  of  a  dragoon — betokened  by  his 
horseman's  sword  and  the  pistols  at  his  saddle-bow. 

"  Master  Coode,  your  servant,"  was  the  greeting  of  the  rider 
whilst  he  dismounted  and  flung  the  rein  carelessly  upon  the  neck 
of  his  steed,  whose  head  drooped  and  sides  panted  with  the  toil 
of  his  recent  journey.  "  Your  ale  is  like  to  grow  flat  from  a  lack 
of  thirst : — I  can  supply  that  commodity,"  he  said,  as  he  took  up 
the  tankard  and  deliberately  drained  it  to  the  bottom. 

"  By  G — ,  Lieutenant,  you  had  as  well  help  yourself  without 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  269 

my  leave  !"  exclaimed  Coode  with  a  laugh.  "  Where  in  the  d — 1 
are  you  from  now  ?" 

"  From  Potapaco  and  the  parts  above,"  replied  Godfrey,  (for 
it  was  no  other  than  the  Lieutenant  of  the  Rangers  :)  "  that 
painted  devil  Manahoton  and  his  wild  cats  have  been  prowling 
around  the  upper  settlements.  There  have  been  throat-cutting 
and  scalping  again.  Red-haired  Tom  Galloway  was  waylaid  on 
his  road  to  Zacaiah  Fort,  and  the  savages  stole  into  his  planta- 
tion and  have  murdered  his  wife  and  children.  Nothing  but 
speed  and  bottom  saved  me  to-day  :  a  party  with  that  son  of 
Tiquassino's — Robin  Hood,  they  call  him — at  least  I  suspect  him 
for  it,  from  a  limp  which  I  saw  in  the  fellow's  walk — lay  in  cover 
and  fired  at  me,  just  over  at  the  head  of  Britton's  bay.  They 
must  have  been  in  liquor,  for  they  popped  their  pieces  so  much 
at  random,  as  to  strike  wide  both  of  me  and  my  horse.  I  gave 
them  a  parting  volley,  as  far  as  pistols  and  carbines  served,  and 
then  bade  them  good-bye." 

"  I  dare  be  sworn  they  were  stirred  up  to  these  attacks," 
replied  Coode.  "  These  bloody  Papists  have  set  a  mark  upon  us 
all,  and  not  only  rouse  the  savages  against  us,  but  disguise  them- 
selves, and  murder  and  burn  with  as  hot  a  hand  as  the  worst  red 
devil  of  them  all.  Whilst  Charles  Calvert  is  allowed  to  hector 
it  over  the  good  people  of  the  province,  we  may  hope  for  nothing 
better.     Did  you  see  Will  Clements  ?" 

"  I  did,  and  have  news  from  him  that  the  Huttons  and  Hat- 
fields,  with  twenty  more  on  the  Virginia  side,  are  ready  to  cross 
the  river  at  the  first  signal." 

"  Have  a  care,  Lieutenant,"  whispered  Coode,  as  he  cast  his 
eye  towards  the  quay ;  "  here  comes  a  boat  with  that  fellow 
Cocklescraft,  one  of  his  Lordship's  lurchers.  It  would  do  you 
uo  good  to  be  seen  in  parley  with  me.     We  meet  to-night,  at 


270  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

Chiseldine's.  Let  me  see  you  there  :  and  now,  away  to  your 
own  concerns." 

"  I  will  not  fail  to  go  to  Chiseldine's,  worthy  Master  Coode," 
replied  the  Lieutenant,  whilst  he  now  turned  aside  to  look  after 
his  beast. 

"  What  ho  !  Garret  Weasel,  send  me  some  one  to  this 
horse  !"  he  cried  out  as  he  thrust  his  head  into  the  door  of 
the  inn. 

Instead  of  the  innkeeper,  the  summons  was  answered  by 
Matty  Scamper,  who,  with  a  courtesy,,  announced  that  both 
Master  Garret  and  the  landlady  were  abroad  ;  and  upon  being 
made  acquainted  with  the  Lieutenant's  wish,  took  upon  herself 
the  business  of  hostler  and  led  off  the  jaded  steed  to  the  stable, 
whilst  Godfrey  entered  the  hostel.  At  the  same  instant  Cockles- 
craft  arrived  at  the  door. 

"  Perhaps  you  could  tell  me,  Master  Coode,"  he  inquired, 
"  whether  Kenelm  Chiseldine  is  likely  to  be  at  home  ?" 

"  Faith,  most  unlikely  as  I  should  guess,"  replied  the  burgess 
with  a  leer  at  the  questioner.  "  Whilst  his  Lordship  allows  the 
savages  to  shoot  down  and  scalp  the  honest  people  of  the  pro- 
vince, here  under  his  very  nose,  a  wise  man  will  learn  who  his 
visitor  may  be,  before  he  will  allow  himself  to  be  seen." 

"  Master  Chiseldine  has  nothing  to  fear  from  me,"  said 
Cocklescraft.  "  I  would  I  might  see  him,"  he  added  with 
an  earnestness  that  forcibly  attracted  Coode's  attention. 

"  Why  what,  in  the  devil's  name,  have  you  to  do  with  Kenelm 
Chiseldine  ?" 

"  More  than  you  suspect,  sir.  I  would  speak  with  him  on 
affairs  of  importance.  It  perhaps  may  concern  you  to  hear  what 
I  have  to  say." 

"  Wounds,  man  ! — speak  out,  if  thou  hast  aught  to  say 
against  me  or  my  friends.     This  shall  be  a  free  land  for  speech, 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  211 

Master  Cocklescraft — free  to  all  men  :  it  is  so  already,  let  me  / 
tell  you,  to  us  who  wear  our  swords — however,  his  Lordship  and 
his  Lordship's  brangling  church-bullies  would  fain  force  it  down 
our  throats  to  be  silent,  with  what  you  call  sedition." 

"  Your  flurry  is  but  spent  breath,  Master  Coode.  If  you 
will  allow  me  an  instant's  private  speech  with  you,  I  will  open 
myself  in  somewhat  that  may  be  for  your  interest  to  hear.  The 
bench  of  a  public  tavern  does  not  well  become  the  matter  of  my 
speaking." 

"  Ha,  a  private  conference  and  on  matter  of  moment  !" 
ejaculated  Coode.  "  Then  follow  me,  Master  Cocklescraft,  by 
the  Town  House  path,  amongst  the  cedars  on  yon  bank.  Now, 
sir,  you  may  speak  your  mind  though  it  were  enough  to  hang  a 
countryside,"  said  Coode,  as  he  strode  slowly  in  advance  of  the 
skipper  until  they  found  themselves  enveloped  by  the  thicket  of 
cedar. 

"I  have  heard  it  whispered,"  quoth  the  skipper,  "since  my 
arrival  in  the  port,  that  you  and  others  have  been  brewing 
mischief,  and  are  like  to  come  to  scratches  with  his  Lordship's 
men  of  the  buff." 

"  And  dost  thou  come  to  me  with  this  fool's  errand,  Master 
Skipper  ?"  interrupted  the  burgess.  "  Are  you  sent  hither,  sirrah, 
to  drain  me  of  a  secret  which  you  may  commend  to  the  notice  of 
the  Proprietary  for  your  own  advancement  in  his  good  favor  ? 
By  my  hilt,  I  have  a  mind  to  rap  thee  about  the  pate  with  my 
whinyard  !" 

"  Tush,  cool  thy  courage,  valiant  Captain,  or  spend  it  where 
it  may  give  thee  more  profit.  I  come  to  thicken  thy  hell-broth 
with  new  spices  of  my  own  devising, — not  to  weaken  it.  I  say 
again,  I  have  heard  it  whispered  that  you  have  bloody  fancies 
in  the  wind.  I  care  not  to  inquire  what  they  are,  but  knowing 
you  have  no  good  will  towards  the  council  and  their  friends,  I 


272  BOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

have  a  hand  to  help  in  any  devil's  crotchet  your  plot  may  give 
life  to.  Besides,  the  Olive  Branch  is  a  more  spiteful  imp  than 
she  looks  to  be, — and  you  may,  perchance,  stand  in  need,  here- 
after, of  a  salt-water  helpmate.  I  can  commend  her  to  your 
liking,  Captain  Coode." 

Coode  gazed  with  a  steadfast  and  incredulous  eye,  for  some 
moments,  in  the  face  of  the  skipper.  At  last  he  asked — "  Art 
thou  in  earnest,  Master  Cocklescraft  ? — By  G —  if  thou  comest 
here  to  entrap  me,  I  will  have  thee  so  bestowed  that  the  kites 
shall  feed  upon  thy  bowels  before  the  breath  be  out  of  thy 
body  !" 

"  And  so  they  may,  if  I  deceive  you,"  replied  the  skipper, 
coolly.  "  Put  me  to  the  proof,  Captain, — put  me  to  the  proof, 
and  if  I  fail  you  may  fatten  all  the  kites  of  St.  Mary's  with  my 
body." 

"  Are  you  willing  to  say  this  before  witnesses  ?"  inquired 
Coode. 

"  A  legion — if  they  hate  the  friends  of  the  council  as  I  hate 
them." 

"Then  come  to-night  to  Master  Chiseldine's.  You  shall  find 
me  and  others  there.  Until  then,  it  may  be  wise  that  we  hold 
no  more  discourse  together.     And  so  now  we  part." 

Cocklescraft  promised  to  keep  the  appointment,  and  took  his 
leave  of  the  burgess  who  walked  onward  to  the  Town  House. 
Here,  Coode  found  Willy  of  the  Flats  busy  in  setting  up  against 
the  trunk  of  the  mulberry  a  sheet  of  paper,  designed,  according 
to  the  custom  of  the  town,  to  advertise  some  matter  of  interest 
to  the  inhabitants.  To  the  question,  "  What  have  you  in  the 
wind,  Willy  ?" — the  fiddler's  reply  was  an  invitation  to  the 
Captain  to  inform  himself  by  a  perusal  of  the  paper.  He  accord- 
ingly read  as  follows  : 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 


ORDER    OF    COUNCIL. 


213 


"  License  given  to  Stark  Whittle  and  Sergeant  Traverse  to 
play  a  prize  at  the  several  weapons  belonging  to  the  Noble 
Science  (such  as  shall  be  agreed  on  by  them)  publickly  at  such 
place  in  or  near  St.  Marie's  City,  as  they  shall  for  this  day 
appoint  :  provided  that  no  foul  play  be  used,  nor  any  riott  or 
disturbance  tending  to  the  breach  of  his  Lordship's  peace,  be  by 
them  or  any  of  their  associates  thereupon  offered.  Dated  at  his 
Lordship's  mansion,  in  the  City  of  St.  Marie's,  this  9th  day  of 
October,  Anno  Domini,  1681. 

"  J.  Llewellln,  Clerk." 

"  On  the  common,  behind  the  Town  House  in  St.  Marie's 
City,  by  permission  of  an  order  of  Council,  as  above  recited,  a 
trial  of  skill  shall  be  performed  between  Stark  Whittle  and 
Sergeant  Gilbert  Travers,  two  masters  of  the  Noble  Science  of 
Defence,  at  four  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon  of  Thursday  the 
twenty-third  of  October  instant. 

"  I,  Stark  Whittle,  of  the  town  of  Stratford,  England,  who 
have  fought  thirty-one  times  at  Hockley  in  the  Hole,  at  Portugal, 
and  in  divers  parts  of  the  West  Indies,  and  never  left  a  stage  to 
any  man,  do  invite  Gilbert  Travers  to  meet  and  exercise  at  the 
several  weapons  following,  viz  : 

Back  Sword,  Sword  and  Buckler, 

Sword  and  Dagger,  Case  of  Falchons, 

Single  Falchon. 

"  I,  Gilbert  Travers,  sergeant  of  musketeers,  who  formerly 

served  in  the  Walloon    Guard  of  His   Highness  the  Prince  of 

Orange,    and   hath   held   the   degree   of  Master  of  the   Noble 

Science   of  Defence  in   forty-seven    prizes,   besides   four   that  I 

12* 


214  KOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

fought  as  a  provost  before  I  took  said  degree,  will  not,  in  regard 
to  the  fame  of  Stark  Whittle,  fail  to  meet  this  brave  inviter  at 
the  time  and  place  appointed  ;  desiring  a  clear  stage  and  from 
him  no  favor. 

"  Yivat  Rex." 

"  This  promises  well,  for  a  fair  sport,  Willy,"  said  Coode  ; 
"  they  are  both  pretty  fellows  with  the  sword.  Who  has  set  this 
matter  a  foot  1" 

"  I  heard,  an  it  please  your  worship,"  replied  the  fiddler  :  "  it 
is  near  a  fortnight  since, — that  Stark  Whittle  and  the  Sergeant, 
being  together  at  an  ale-drinking,  on  an  afternoon,  at  Master 
Weasel's  ordinary,  and  having  got  into  a  merry  pin,  must  needs 
fall  into  an  argument,  and  thereupon  into  a  debate,  as  men  com- 
monly do  now-a-davs,  upon  church-  matters.  Whereupon  Stark, 
— you  know,  Master  Coode,"  said  Willy,  touching  the  burgess 
on  the  rib  with  his  knuckle  and  speaking,  in  a  confidential  tone, 
with  a  short  dry  laugh, — "  Stark  is  a  born  devil  on  our  side  of 
the  question, — whereupon  he  raises  his  voice  against  the  mum- 
bling of  masses,  as  he  calls  it,  and  the  pictures  and  images  and 
the  rest  of  the  trumpery  ; — while  the  Sergeant  sticks  up,  like  a 
true  soldier,  for  the  army  of  martyrs  and  the  canons  and  what 
not  besides.  So,  when  words  got  high,  and  Stark  began  to  be 
puzzled  by  some  of  Gilbert's  quiddities  which  he  learned  from  the 
priests, — he  whips  off  from  the  church  and  turns  the  discourse 
upon  sword-craft.  And  thereupon,  after  some  crowing  by  Gilbert, 
Stark  takes  him  short  with  a  challenge  to  play  a  prize — which 
the  Sergeant  accepted,  out  of  hand.  Then  it  was  left  to  Colonel 
Talbot  to  bring  it  to  the  council,  and  the  next  thing  I  hear  of  it 
is  that  Colonel  Talbot  sends  me  here  to  set  this  writing  concern- 
ing the  whole  matter,  against  the  mulberry  before  the  Town 
House  door." 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  275 

Before  Willy  had  got  through  this  account  of  the  origin  of 
Stark  Whittle's  challenge,  Godfrey  had  come  to  the  spot. 

"  We  may  find  an  occasion  in  this  prize  fight  that  shall  jump 
with  our  plot,  Lieutenant,"  said  Coode.  "  What  think  you 
Richard  Cocklescraft  had  to  tell  me  ?" 

"  I  cannot  guess." 

"  Why,  that  these  shavelings,  who  meddle  so  much  in  the 
affairs  of  the  province  and  rule  the  council,  are  downright 
knaves  ; — that  his  Lordship  is  no  better  than  a  sneaking  dotard ; 
the  council  themselves  but  white-livered  whelps  of  the  litter  of 
Babylon,  and  that  the  whole  brood  of  craw  thumpers,  taking  in 
master  and  serving-man  all  round,  are  but  scurvy  thieves  who 
deserve,  each  and  all,  to  be  set  in  the  stocks.  Now,  there  is 
a  wise  skipper ! — a  clear-sighted,  conscientious  wight,  who  has 
seen  his  errors  and  confesses  them  honestly  !  This  Master 
Cocklescraft  has  promised  me  to  meet  us  at  Chiseldine's  to-night, 
which  I  put  it  to  him  to  do  by  way  of  test  to  his  honesty.  If  he 
come  not  there,  I  shall  hold  that  he  has  cozened  me  with  a 
base,  juggling,  papistical  lie.  And  in  that  case,  George  Godfrey, 
I  desire  yon  to  set  thy  mark  upon  him  ; — dost  hear  ?  So,  until 
we  meet  again  at  Master  Chiseldine's^  good  even,  Lieutenant." 

The  residence  of  Chiseldine  stood  upon  the  river,  a  short  dis- 
tance beyond  the  upper  limits  of  the  town,  from  which  it  was 
separated  by  the  small  creek  which  I  have  heretofore  described 
as  bounding  the  common.  This  creek,  at  its  embouchure  where 
it  crossed  the  river  beach,  was  reduced  into  a  narrow  strait, 
scarcely,  in  the  ordinary  state  of  the  tides,  beyond  the  compass 
of  an  active  man's  leap.  Here  a  small  bridge  gave  to  the  towns- 
people access  at  all  times  to  the  dwelling-house  of  Master 
Chiseldine. 

When  *>he  twilight  had  subsided,  some  three  or  four  visitors 
Were  Wr>d  assembled  under  this  roof,  and  their  number  in  the 


276  BOB     OF     THE     BOWL 

course  of  an  hour  was  gradually  increased  to  as  many  more. 
Amongst  these,  Coode  and  Godfrey  were  the  first  to  arrive  ; 
they  were  soon  followed  by  a  person  of  no  small  influence  in 
stimulating  the  disorders  of  that  time, — the  Reverend  Master 
Yeo — an  active  and  subtle  churchman  of  the  English  Church, 
whose  emaciated  figure,  meek  countenance,  and  puritanical  sim- 
plicity of  costume,  contrasted  with  a  restless  and  passion-fraught 
eye,  presented  an  impersonation  of  a  busy,  political  ecclesiastic. 
The  host,  Master  Kenelm  Chiseldine,  though  a  young  man,  had 
already  arrived  at  some  authority  in  the  House  of  Burgesses  by 
his  persevering  and  zealous  hostility  to  the  Proprietary,  and  had, 
through  the  popularity  which  generally  follows  resistance  to  the 
established  order  of  things,  obtained  such  a  control  over  the 
course  of  that  unhappy  dissension  which  agitated  the  peace  of 
the  province,  as  entitled  him  to  be  considered,  in  modern  phrase, 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  movement.  He  now  appeared  in  this 
conclave,  in  that  mixed  character  of  burgher  and  soldier — 
partially  armed,  though  professing  the  pursuits  of  a  man  of 
peace — which  the  disturbances  of  the  period  had  rendered  com- 
mon amongst  the  inhabitants.  Conspicuous,  at  least  for  his  esti- 
mate of  himself,  in  this  assemblage,  whither  the  love  of  having 
something  to  do,  and  a  thirst  for  a  patriot's  immortality,  had 
lured  him,  was  little  Corporal  Abbot  the  tailor — a  wight  remark- 
able for  the  vast  disproportion  between  the  smallness  of  his 
person  and  the  greatness  of  his  aspirations,  and  still  more 
remarkable  for  an  upspringing  walk  and  an  ambitious,  erect 
carriage  of  the  head.  Stricken  with  the  grandeur  of  Lieutenant 
Godfrey's  achievements,  and  emulous  of  like  glory  in  the  field  of 
Mars,  he  had,  by  degrees,  wormed  himself  into  an  intimacy  with 
the  Lieutenant,  who,  one  clay,  in  a  freak,  settled  the  little  hero's 
destiny,  by  enlisting  him  for  a  special  campaign  with  the  Rangers. 
Tn  the  course  of  this  tour  of  duty,  which  lasted  sixty  days,  Ned 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  277 

Abbot  bad  the  good  fortune  to  capture  three  Indian  women, 
whom  he  took  for  warriors  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  King  Tiquas 
sino — a  chief  whose  name  diffused  a  common  terror  through  the 
province.  The  Rangers  conspired  to  magnify  the  hazard  and 
glory  of  this  exploit,  and  his  commander  exalted  him  to  the 
honorable  and  responsible  duties  of  a  corporal.  Ever  since  that 
event,  the  tailor  looked  upon  himself  as  a  martialist  approved  in 
battle  and  entitled  to  boast  of  his  prowess.  Being  thus  seduced 
into  the  list  of  fame,  he  became  a  devoted  adherent  of  the 
Lieutenant,  and,  as  is  customary  amongst  the  votaries  of  greater 
men  than  even  Lieutenant  George  Godfrey,  he  suffered  himself 
to  be  embarked  in  all  the  hazards  and  committed  to  all  the  con- 
sequences of  his  leader's  political  imbroglios.  The  corporal's  time 
was  divided  between  the  needle  and  the  broadsword  ; — at  one 
season,  when  work  was  slack,  playing  the  man  of  war  in  bloodless 
forays,  and  at  another,  when  fighting  was  superabundant,  stitch- 
ing doublets  and  patching  decayed  jerkins  with  a  commendable 
tranquillity  of  spirit. 

Such  were  the  principal  personages  who  were  now  convened 
to  deliberate  upon  the  course  of  that  secret  rebellion  which,  in  a 
few  years  later  than  this  period,  terminated  in  what  is  known  in 
the  history  of  Maryland  as  the  Protestant  Revolution.  Their 
more  immediate  purpose  was  to  devise  measures  for  the  rescue  or 
liberation  of  the  Fendalls.  Towards  the  accomplishment  of  this 
design,  the  discontented  in  various  parts  of  the  province  had 
associated  under  private  forms  of  organization,  and  held  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  obey  the  signal  for  an  outbreak,  whenever 
the  leaders  amongst  the  burgesses  should  determine  the  fit 
moment  to  have  arrived.  When  these  persons  were  once  banded 
together  in  anns,  their  plan  was  to  drive  matters  to  an  immediate 
issue  with  the  Proprietary,  by  seizing  the  fort,  and  even  by 
assailing  his  person.     Their  general  scheme  of  rebellion  was  sup- 


278  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

posed  to  derive  its  hopes  of  success  not  only  from  the  increasing 
bitterness  which  daily  grew  up  between  the  two  religious  sects, 
but  from  the  avowed  inclination  of  the  Court  at  White  Hall  to 
give  an  established  Church  to  the  province,  and  to  restrain  the 
exercise  of  religious  toleration  towards  the  Catholic  party.  Add 
to  this  the  fact  that  a  preponderating  majority  of  the  inhabitants 
were  of  the  Protestant  faith,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  con- 
spirators had  no  very  strong  reason  to  apprehend  any  fatal  mis- 
carriage of  their  scheme. 

It  was  late  before  Cocklescraft  made  his  appearance  in  this 
assembly.  He  had  gone  into  the  inn,  where  he  remained  in 
solitude  until  after  nightfall  ;  and  when  the  retiring  day  had  left 
everything  in  shade,  he  sallied  forth,  and  indulged  his  moody 
and  fevered  temper  in  lonely  musing,  as  he  rambled  through  the 
town  and  along  the  margin  of  the  river.  Callous  as  he  was  to 
the  ordinary  sensibilities  of  humanity,  it  cost  him  a  struggle  to 
pursue  his  vindictive  purpose  to  the  extent  of  making  war  against 
that  faith,  the  devotion  to  which,  in  his  bosom,  was  superstition 
— a  superstition  that  clung  to  his  mind  through  all  the  iniquities 
of  his  life  amongst  the  Brothers  of  the  Coast,  and  which  he  now 
trembled  to  renounce.  His  self-communing  on  this  subject  had 
wrought  him  up  to  a  state  of  mind  that  bordered  upon  insanity, 
exhibiting  itself,  at  times,  in  bursts  of  apparently  jocular  reck- 
lessness, and  driving  him  to  the  stimulus  of  strong  drink. 

His  absence  from  Chiseldine's  began  to  be  remarked.  Master 
Yeo  had  already  let  fall — when  Coode  spoke  of  his  interview 
with  the  skipper — some  expressions  of  distrust  in  the  sincerity  of 
such  a  conversion  as  the  tale  implied  ;  and  more  than  one  of  the 
company  hinted  at  a  trick  contrived  by  the  Papists  to  entrap 
them.  Private  mutterings  of  dissatisfaction  and  threats  of  retri- 
bution were  growled  in  whispered  tones.  Corporal  Abbot  was 
remarkably   fierce   and  denunciatory.     "By   my  sword,   neigh- 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  27lJ 

bors  !"  he  said,  with  a  scowling  eyebrow,  "  an  I  find  it  should 
turn  out  that  we  have  been  paltered  with  by  that  briny  ruffler, 
it  shall  go  hard  with  him  but  he  shall  find  that  I  wear  cold  iron, 
— if  he  learn  as  much  from  never  a  man  in  the  town  beside.  And 
as  we  are  all  here  together,  where  we  may  speak  our  minds,"  he 
added  in  a  stage-whisper,  with  a  significant  solemnity  of  manner, 
"  I  would  have  you  know  I  do  not  put  too  much  faith  in  the 
honesty  of  these  absolution  and  purgatory  men  :  they  are  fishy 
— fishy,  masters,"  he  said,  laying  his  finger  against  his  nose, 
and  looking   portentously  mysterious.     "  To    my    seeming,   this 

Richard  Cocklescraft  ever  had  a  hang-dog " 

"Ay,  that's  true — a  hang-dog  devil  in  his  looks,"  said  Cock- 
•lescraft  himself,  taking  the  parole  from  the  speaker,  as  he  strode 
into  the  room  immediately  behind  the  Corporal,  who  stood  near 
the  door.  His  brow  was  flushed,  his  air  hurried  and  disturbed, 
and  he  had  entered  the  outer  door  without  knocking  or  cere- 
mony of  announcement,  and  thus  came  into  the  apartment  where 
the  meeting  was  assembled,  at  unawares,  and  at  the  moment  that 
his  name  was  upon  the  Corporal's  lips.  His  cap  was  drawn  con- 
ceitedly over  one  side  of  his  forehead,  and  his  scabbarded  sword, 
detached  from  the  belt,  was  borne  in  his  hand.  A  constrained 
smile  gave  a  disagreeable  and  unusual  expression  to  his  features, 
and  there  was  an  air  of  affected  joviality  in  his  carriage  when 
he  interrupted  the  boasting  martialist  and  accosted  the  company. 
"  Nay,  Master  Corporal,  you  need  not  shrink,  for  your  brave 
speaking  :  'tis  a  license  of  a  man  of  the  wars  to  rail  at  such  as 
leave  their  colors  ;  and  as  I  have  left  mine,  I  stand  under  your 
reproof. — God  save  you,  my  masters,  for  a  set  of  merry  contrivers 
of  mischief !  By  St.  Iago,  but  you  make  a  snug  house  of  it  here 
together  !  Master  Chiseldine,  Captain  Coode  would  have  me 
come  here  to-night  to  speak  before  witnesses.  Presto,  change  ! 
is  the  word.     I  have  done  with  the  cowls  and  the  cassocks,  and 


280  ROB     OF     THE     BOW  I,. 

with  all  who  bow  to  the  honorable  council  :  I  have  clone  with 
my  Lord's  gentlemen  of  taffeta  and  buckram  ; — yea,  and  have 
a  reckoning  to  make  which  shall  be  remembered  in  Maryland. 
Santo  Rosario  !  but  I  will  make  it,"  he  added,  as  he  spoke 
through  his  clenched  teeth,  "  when  the  foremost  man  amongst 
you  all  shall  cry  shame  for  pity  !■ — We  shall  foreswear  water- 
drinking,  comrades  !  I  have  renounced  it  to-day  ;  for  an  hour 
past  I  have  fed  upon  the  milk  of  Scheidam — most  wholesome 
usquebaugh,  without  taint  of  Papistry  in  it  :  I  fetched  it  myself 
from  Holland  to  the  Crow  and  Archer.  Ha  !  it  has  baptized 
me  in  the  faith  of  our  new  quarrel.  I  will  swear  by  it  as  your 
only  holy  water." 

"  Master  Cocklescraft,  I  would  you  had  brought  us  a  cooler 
head — though  you  are  not  the  less  welcome,"  said  Chiseldine. 
"Think  yon,  sir,  you  can  strike,  if  there  be  need  for  it,  at  those 
you  have  lately  consorted  with  ?" 

"Strike  !"  exclaimed  Cocklescraft,  "ay,  by  Saint  Anthony, 
can  I  strike  !  on  the  broad  sea,  or  green  land, — in  pell-mell  or 
orderly  fight, — amongst  pikes  and  muskets,  or  grenades  and  cul- 
verins.  I  can  strike  with  sword  or  dagger, — at  waking  man  or 
sleeping  babe — gray  head  or  green  : — strike,  Master  Chiseldine, 
to  drum  and  trumpet,  or  to  the  music  of  shrieking  wives  and 
sobbing  maidens.  I  have  been  nursed  to  the  craft.  What  else 
should  have  brought  me  here  to-night  ?" 

"  A  most  monstrous  and  horrid  papistical  schooling  the  wolf 
has  had  !"  piously  ejaculated  Master  Yeo,  in  the  ear  of  a  neigh- 
bor.    "This  fellow  would  have  been  a  Guido  Fawkes  in  time." 

"  We  must  use  him,  nevertheless,  reverend  Master  Yeo," 
said  Coode  ;  "  we  shall  teach  him  gentleness,  when  we  have  got 
over  the  rough  work  of  our  plot." 

The  parson  assented  by  a  nod  of  the  head  ;  and  then  ap- 
proaching  the    skipper,    inquired,     "  What    argument,    worthy 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  281 

Master  Cocklescraft,  hath  persuaded  you  to  renounce  your  old 
associates  ?  There  may  be  much  edification  in  the  experience 
of  a  man  so  thoroughly  converted." 

"  That  concerns  no  man  here,"  replied  the  seaman  bluntly. 
"  Enough  for  you,  sir,  that  I  have  changed  my  colors.  I  come 
to  you  not  alone,  neither  :  I  have  men  to  back  me,  and  follow 
where  I  lead,  and  a  trim  bark  which  may  serve  a  turn  when  you 
are  put  in  straits.  If  you  will  have  service  out  of  me,  I  ask  no 
return  for  it,  but  that  you  set  quickly  about  the  work.  Do  you 
want  motive  for  present  quarrel  ?  I  can  give  it  to  you.  I 
know  it  for  a  truth,  that  the  King  hath  sent  orders  hither  to 
dislodge  every  Papist  from  his  office  in  this  province  ;  and  I 
know,  further,  that  the  council  do,  upon  deliberation,  refuse  to 
obey  the  King's  bidding.  There  is  a  handle  for  rebellion  which 
may  serve  you  for  a  throat-cutting  !  But  what  is  a  royal  order 
to  Charles  Calvert  if  the  wind  of  his  humor  set  contrary  against 
it  ?  A  feather. — Who  are  they  that  counsel  my  Lord  Balti- 
more ?  The  men  that  feed  their  own  idleness  on  the  substance 
of  the  honest  folk  who  toil  ; — the  men  who  flatter  his  Lordship 
with  crafty  courtesies.  First  amongst  them  is  that  old  grout- 
head,  Anthony  Warden  :  I  would  have  you  note  him,  masters, 
for  a  chief  leech  ;  a  most  toping  blood-sucker.  To  whom  should 
the  offices  of  this  province  belong  ?  To  such  as  the  good  pleas- 
ure of  the  burgesses  may  appoint " 

"  Surely,"  grunted  Coode. 

"  To  such  as  the  King  would  have — " 

"  Without  question,"  breathed  the  reverend  Parson  Yeo. 

"  Then,  there  are  reasons  for  rebellion  as  thick  as  you  could 
wish,  masters,"  continued  Cocklescraft,  by  way  of  close  to  an 
harangue  which  showed  him  qualified  to  take  a  rank  amongst 
the  demagogues  of  the  time  not  inferior  to  that  of  the  most 
successful  masters  of  the  art  of  agitation  at  the  present  day 


282  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"  So,  fall  to,  and  make  yourselves  worshipful  dignitaries, — men 
of  consideration  amongst  your  neighbors  :  I  am  here  to  help." 

"  Bravely  spoken  I"  shouted  Coode,  as  the  skipper  concluded 
this  successful  essay  in  political  oratory,  whilst  several  voices  re- 
echoed the  commendation  ;  "  that  is  the  true  aspect  of  our  plot, 
and  Master  Coeklescraft  shows  himself  a  worthy  and  apt  scholar. 
The  sooner  we  come  to  buffets  the  better.  We  have  force  enough 
to  match  the  pikes  and  muskets  of  his  Lordship,  and  make  our- 
selves masters  of  the  fort.  By  a  placard  set  against  the  mul- 
berry at  the  Town  House  this  afternoon,  it  seems  we  are  to  have 
a  prize  play  between  Stark  Whittle  and  Sergeant  Travers,  next 
Wednesday  week.  This  will  not  fail  to  bring  our  friends  of  the 
country  swarming  to  the  sport,  and  the  occasion  will  be  apt  for  us 
to  manage  the  appointments  of  a  general  revolt." 

This  suggestion  receiving  the  countenance  of  the  conclave, 
was  adopted,  and  the  execution  of  the  particulars  committed  to 
Coode  himself.  For  the  present,  it  was  thought  advisable  that 
no  immediate  step  be  taken  in  reference  to  the  rescue  of  the  Fen- 
clalls,  as  it  was  very  obvious,  from  various  intelligence  which  had 
been  brought  to  the  conspirators,  that  a  crisis  was  near  at  hand 
which  must  be  dev  Wve  of  the  question  of  strength  between  the 
two  parties. 

After  this  thx        apany  gradually  dispersed. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


She  sat  hie  on  the  tap  tower  stane, 

Nae  waiting  may  was  there  ; 

She  lows'd  the  gowd  husk  frae  her  hreast, 

The  kaim  frae  'mang  her  hair, 

She  wiped  the  tear  blobs  frae  her  ee, 

An'  looked  lang  and  sair. 

The  Mekmaid  of  Galloway. 


It  is  proper,  before  we  move  onward  with  our  tale,  to  give  some 
account  of  affairs  at  the  Rose  Croft,  towards  which  the  interest 
of  our  lady  readers  especially  is  very  naturally  directed. 

After  Willy  of  the  Flats  had  departed  with  the  missive  that 
was  designed  to  frustrate  the  duel,  there  was,  for  a  considerable 
time,  a  general  restlessness  manifested  by  the  household,  extend- 
ing from  Alice  Warden  and  Blanche,  downward  through  the 
entire  roll  of  domestics  ;  for  Willy  had  not  omitted  to  avail  him- 
self of  the  occasion  to  give  Mistress  Coldcale  a  circumstantial 
history  of  the  whole  affair  of  the  quarrel  between  the  skipper 
and  the  Secretary,  in  the  presence  of  Michael  Mossbank,  as  well 
as  of  the  housemaids,  the  cook  and  the  scullion,  all  of  whom  were 
opportunely  assembled  in  the  kitchen,  at  work  amongst  the  litter 
and  wreck  of  the  last  night's  feast,  and  were,  of  course,  thrown 
by  the  recital  into  a  condition  of  most  extraordinary  doubt  and 
curiosity  as  to  the  upshot  of  the  adventure.  The  restlessness  to 
which  I  have  referred  seemed  equally  to  defy  the  consolations  of 
philosophy  and  the  power  of  remaining  stationary  in  any  one 
place,  by  any  one  body,  for  two  consecutive  minutes.     The  com- 


284  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

raon  topic  of  apprehension  was  that  Willy  might  not  reach  Father 
Pierre  in  season,  or  if  he  did,  that  Father  Pierre  might  not  find 
aid  at  hand  to  intercept  the  combatants  ;  two  very  reasonable 
grounds  of  distrust,  which  brought  about  that  nervous  agitation 
which  is  not  uncommon  in  female  councils.  In  the  present  case, 
after  much  tribulation  and  perplexity  in  the  two  sisters,  it  was 
thought  expedient  to  call  Mistress  Coldcale  to  the  consultation 
regarding  what  was  proper  to  be  done  in  the  emergency  ;  and 
the  matter  was  now  entertained  in  an  ambulatory  debate,  com- 
mencing in  the  parlor,  and  moving  successively  into  the  hall, 
thence  upstairs  to  a  chamber  window,  down  again  to  the  front 
door,  and  finally  to  the  verge  of  the  cliff,  at  the  extremity  of  the 
lawn  overlooking  the  river.  At  this  last  spot,  Mistress  Coldcale 
cast  her  eyes  over  the  water,  and  there  discovered  the  skipper's 
brigantine,  which,  as  my  reader  is  aware,  had  been  dropped  down 
to  this  anchorage  early  in  the  morning.  This  phenomenon 
straightway  suggested  a  most  ingenious  expedient,  which,  from 
the  vivacity  of  its-  enunciation,  it  was  obvious  the  housekeeper 
considered  as  decisive  of  the  question  under  deliberation. 

"Good  luck  the  while!"  she  exclaimed,  "if  there  is  not 
Master  Cocklescraft's  own  vessel,  the  Olive  Branch,  lying  fast 
and  firm,  in  the  very  mouth  of  the  creek.  How  lucky  for  us  ! 
The  skipper,  Mistress  Alice,  as  we  are  women,  is  on  board,  and 
intends  to  go  thence  to  Cornwaleys's  Cross  ; — now,  as  he  mast 
come  within  hail  of  our  landing,  we  have  only  to  station  Michael 
Mossbank  here  with  the  long  Spanish  fowling-piece,  and  cause 
him  to  warn  Cocklescraft,  in  the  name  of  Master  Warden,  to 
forbear  coming  up  the  creek  on  peril  of  his  life.  Your  father 
did  so  in  Fendalls'  first  rebellion,  when  Sawahega  and  his  men 
frightened  the  priests  of  St.  Inigoe's  yonder  out  of  their  wits,  by 
sailing  into  the  creek.  Why  shouldn't  we  try  it  with  the  skipper? 
Michael    shall   fire   upon   him  if  he  dare  to  make  light  of  the 


HOB     OF     THE     BOWL.  285 

warning  ;  and  lest  bloodshed  might  come  of  it,  the  gardener  may 
take  his  aim  somewhat  aslant  and  overhead.  I  will  promise  you, 
no  sailor  ventures  another  stroke  of  an  oar  forward  after  that." 

"  Mercy  on  us,  Mistress  Bridget  I"  ejaculated  Alice  Warden, 
"  would  you  involve  us  in  a  war  with  the  skipper  and  his  surly 
comrades  ?" 

"  At  least  till  Master  Anthony  Warden,  your  worshipful 
father,  comes  home  and  takes  the  matter  into  his  own  hands,  I 
would  make  Avar  as  we  may,  against  Cocklescraft,  or  any  one  else 
that  should  come  into  our  waters  to  harm  Master  Albert.  Troth, 
would  I  1" 

"I  am  sure,  I  do  not  know  what  to  do,"  said  Blanche,  not 
heeding  the  belligerent  device  of  the  housekeeper,  and  looking 
ruefully,  through  a  tear,  over  the  waste  of  waters — "  I  am  sure 
I  do  not  know  what  to  do,  unless  it  be  to  send  for  our  dear  Lady 
Maria." 

As  this  last  seemed  to  be  the  most  practicable  hint  which  had 
yet  been  suggested,  it  was  seized  upon  and  adopted  with  entire 
unanimity  ;  and  the  consultation  was  immediately  adjourned  to 
carry  it  into  operation.  Mistress  Alice  and  the  housekeeper  hur- 
ried to  speed  measures  to  that  end,  and  Blanche  remained  fixed 
upon  the  bank  in  a  mute  study,  apparently  watching  the  people 
upon  the  deck  of  the  brigantine. 

Luckily,  before  Michael  Mossbank  could  make  ready  a  horse 
to  do  the  errand  which  Mistress  Alice  had  confided  to  him,  the 
Lady  Maria  was  descried  approaching  the  house,  mounted  on  her 
ambling  pony,  and  followed  by  a  body-guard  in  the  shape  of  an 
old  serving-man  of  the  Lord  Proprietary.  In  brief  space  she 
alighted  at  the  door. 

The  good  lady  had  heard  nothing  of  the  tidings  which  had 
diffused  such  sadness  over  the  household  at  the  Rose  Croft,  and, 
it  may  be  imagined,  now  received  them  with  a  manifestation  of 


286  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

concern  commensurate  not  only  with  her  regard  for  the  Secretary, 
but  also  with  the  peculiar  solicitude  which  she  was  accustomed 
to  extend  over  all  matters  relating  to  the  affairs  of  the  young 
people  within  her  brother's  dominion. 

"  Oh,  the  bloody-minded  skipper  !  and  oh,  rash  Master 
Albert  !"  she  exclaimed,  after  the  narrative  was  concluded.  "  I 
foresaw  it — I  dreamed  of  it — I  almost  knew  some  mischief  was 
hatching,  ever  since  that  wicked  look  which  I  marked  the  skipper 
give  to  Master  Albert,  when  the  Secretary  chid  him  fur  being  too 
free  in  his  importunity  regarding  the  mantle — as  you  may  remem- 
ber, Blanche." 

"I  wish  the  fingers  of  the  sempstress  over  sea  had  been 
blistered  ere  they  stitched  that  foul  mantle,"  said  Blanche, 
"  and  the  skipper  in  the  bottom  of  the  Red  Sea,  who  brought  it 
here  !» 

"  I  would  rather  wish  that  Master  Albert  should  find  no 
skipper  at  Cornwaleys's  Cross  to-day,"  returned  the  lady,  not 
knowing  exactly  what  to  wish  ;  "or  that  no  such  place  as  Corn- 
waleys's Cross  was  to  be  found  in  the  province." 

"Find  no  skipper  there  !"  exclaimed  Blanche  ;  "if  a  poor 
wish  of  mine  might  bring  it  to  pass,  Master  Albert's  sword  should 
^eal  so  sharply  with  him  that  he  should  never  again  set  foot  in 
the  Port.  It  all  comes  of  that  foolish  birth-clay  ball  which  I 
must  needs  be  persuaded  by  Grace  Blackiston  to  give.  I  would  I 
were  not  eighteen  for  five  years  to  come  !" 

"  If  harm  should  befall  Master  Albert,"  interposed  the  house- 
keeper, who  felt  herself  privileged  in  this  time  of  general  tribu 
lation  to  give  her  opinion,  "it  would  be  for  your  comfort  that 
you  never  saw  nor  would  see  eighteen.  If  I  were  Mistress 
Blanche,  I  know  I  should  never  find  my  natural  rest  again,  to 
lose  so  sweet  a  gentleman  as  the  Secretary.  But  the  crosses  of 
this  life  come  not  by  desert,  nor  spare  the  best,  as  the  proverb 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 


281 


says.  I  fear  the  skipper  is  an  overmatch  for  Master  Albert." 
"  Surely,  Mistress  Coldcale,"  said  Blanche,  nettled  at  the 
housekeeper's  freedom,  as  well  as  at  her  undervaluing  the  Secre- 
tary's prowess,  "  thou  hast  no  warrant  for  such  speech.  Master 
Albert  hath  a  valiant  heart  and  a  hand  to  defend  himself,  and 
may  match  with  the  skipper  in  any  quarrel.  And  if  he  were  not 
his  match,"  she  added,  with  au  ill-concealed  struggle  to  appear 
indifferent  to  the  result,  "  he  is  no  kinsman  of  mine,  I  trow,  that 
I  should  wish  myself  dead."  And' having  thus  given  vent  to  an 
emotion  suggested  by  that  reserve  which  a  maiden  feels  who  first 
begins  to  be  conscious  of  a  secret  affection  for  a  lover, — a  senti- 
ment that  until  this  day  had  slumbered  unacknowledged  at  her 
heart, — she  covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  and  left  the  room, 
to  weep  in  private. 

At  the  top  of  the  Collector's  dwelling  was  a  small  balcony  or 
platform  that  had  been  constructed  for  an  observatory,  from 
which  vessels  approaching  the  Port  might  be  described  with  a 
perspective  glass  at  the  most  remote  seaward  point.  Prom  this 
elevation,  looking  inland,  the  road  leading  from  the  town  around 
the  head  of  St.  Inigoe's,  might  be  discerned  for  some  extent  along 
the  plain,  and  at  intervals,  through  the  forest,  where  it  became 
tangled  amongst  the  hills.  To  this  balcony,  in  the  disquietude 
of  her  mind,  Blanche  had  gone  secretly  to  look  out  upon  the 
road  and  note  those  who  travelled  upon  it,  hoping  by  this  means 
to  satisfy  herself  on  that  anxious  question  whether  any  persons 
were  abroad  to  prevent  the  duel.  Long  she  gazed  there,  with 
her  brow  shaded  by  her  hand  ;  and  when  within  an  hour  of 
noon,  she  discerned  two  figures,  on  horseback,  moving  upon  the 
hill-side  almost  at  a  walk, — it  was  with  an  emotion  that  produced 
a  shudder  through  her  frame  that  she  recognised  at  that  dis- 
tance the  short  dark  cloak  and  the  low  cap  and  feather  of  the 
Secretary. 


288  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"Oh,  blessed  Mother!",  she  exclaimed  involuntarily,  "it  is 
Master  Albert :  our  care  has  been  but  lost.  So  leisurely  he 
moves  along,  his  path  has  not  been  followed  ;  nor  is  it  like  to  be, 
for  noon  has  almost  come,  and  I  see  no  Father  Pierre  behind, 
although  the  road  is  open  townward  to  my  sight  full  two  good 
miles.  And  he  hath  Master  Dauntrees  with  him,  as  I  take  that 
companion  to  be  ;  and  Master  Dauntrees  would  not  guide  him  so 
much  at  ease  if  there  were  followers. — Jesu  Maria  !  hither  comes 
the  skipper's  boat,  skimming  the  water  with  such  speed  as  makes 
it  sure  he  shall  reach  the  Cross  in  time,"  she  continued,  as  she 
turned  her  eye  from  the  land  to  the  river,  and  saw  the  shallop 
cleaving  the  surface  of  St.  Inigoe's  creek,  abreast  the  Rose 
Croft,  under  the  lusty  stroke  of  two  oarsmen,  and  bearing 
Cocklescraft  and  his  comrades,  so  near  to  her  that  she  was  able 
to  distinguish,  upon  the  bench  of  the  boat,  the  swords  which 
were  to  be  used  in  the  combat.  "  Well-a-day  !  it  is  a  fore- 
doomed trial,  which  may  not  be  averted  by  any  caution  of  mine. 
The  Holy  Martyrs  guard  our  good  Master  Albert,  and  turn 
danger  from  his  path  !  as  for  his  gentleness  and  bravery  he  doth 
deserve." 

The  maiden  muttered  these  short  and  almost  incoherent 
aspirations,  half  in  self-communion,  half  in  prayer,  during  which 
a  melancholy  expression  of  distress  rested  upon  her  countenance, 
and  often,  like  the  forsaken  lady  of  the  ballad, 

"  She  wip'd  the  tear  blobs  frao  her  ee, 
An'  looked  lang  and  suir.'' 

Whilst  she  thus  indulged  her  secret  grief,  voices  were  heard 
below  in  the  court-yard. 

"  It  is  the  skipper's  boat,  Michael  Mossbank,"  said  the  voice 
of  Bridget  Coldcale,  "and  the  skipper  in  it,  with  his  rufflers  at 
his  side.  The  fowling-piece,  Michael  I — the  long  Spanish  gun 
you  shoot  ducks  with  in  the  winter  ! — haste  ye,  man,  and  fetch 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  289 

it,  or  they  will  be  out  of  thy  reach  !  Was  ever  such  a  lurdau — 
such  a  poking  old  elf ! — I  have  the  heart  to  load  and  fire  with 
my  own  hand.     These  headstrong  men  !" 

"  Go  to  your  kitchen-craft,  you  silly-witted  woman  !"  returned 
the  voice  of  the  gardener,  with  a  hoarse  laugh  •  "  thou'rt  a  fool 
with  thy  prating  of  the  fowling-piece  !  Take  a  ladle  of  hot 
water  and  fling  it  in  the  wind — it  will  scald  yon  sailors,  per- 
chance— 'tis  but  a  furlong  cast :  the  creek  is  but  a  half  mile 
wide." 

"  It  was  not  so  wide,  you  crusty  mole  catcher,  but  that  his 
worship  from  this  bank  could  turn  that  savage  Sawahega  and  his 
canoes  back  as  they  came." 

''  Tush,  Dame  Bridget,  go  and  peel  your  onions  ! — What  do 
you  known  of  Sawahega  and  his  canoes  ?  Were  there  not  fifty 
of  us  with  musket  and  culverin  to  boot  ! — Let  these  women 
prate  and  the  world  will  be  so  thick  set  with  lies  that  they  will 
darken  the  light  of  the  sun — a  man  would  lose  his  way  in  day- 
time, unless  he  bore  a  lantern." 

This  last  hit  of  the  gardener's  seemed  to  be  decisive,  for  the 
voice  of  Mistress  Coldcale  was  immediately  afterwards  heard  in 
the  house,  showing  that  she  had  evidently  retreated. 

"  Ah  1"  cried  the  maiden,  who  still  retained  her  position  in 
the  balcony,  as  she  now  unexpectedly  discerned  the  figures  of  the 
Proprietary  and  Father  Pierre  riding  at  a  pretty  brisk  gait  along 
the  plain  from  the  direction  of  the  town — "a  blessing  on  him  ! 
Father  Pierre  has  got  our  message  and  is  on  his  way  with  his 
good  Lordship.  The  saints  lend  them  speed  ! — though  I  fear 
they  go  too  late.  The  skipper's  boat  has  turned  into  St.  Luke's 
and  will  be  at  the  Cross  ere  his  Lordship  reach  the  hills, — 
though  when  he  reaches  the  hills  his  journey  is  but  half  performed." 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  she  heard  the  bell  of  St. 
Inigoe's  across  the  creek,  pealing  its  customary  announcement  of 
13 


290 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 


noon,  and  still  the  Proprietary  and  the  priest  had  not  yet  ceased 
to  be  observed  on  the  road  descending  from  the  highland.  The 
boat  of  the  skipper  had  disappeared  in  the  recesses  of  St.  Luke's, 
and  the  Secretary  with  his  companion  had  already  abundant 
time  to  reach  the  appointed  ground  of  the  combat.  Overcome 
by  doubt,  suspense,  and  apprehension,  Blanche  retreated,  with  a 
stealthy  step,  as  if  afraid  even  to  hear  the  noise  of  her  own  foot- 
fall to  her  chamber,  and  there,  with  a  throbbing  heart  and  trem- 
bling frame,  threw  herself  upon  her  bed.  In  this  condition  she 
lay  conjuring  up  the  phantoms  of  her  imagination,  and  giving 
full  scope  to  that  distressing  augury  of  .evil,  which,  in  moments 
when  we  are  compelled  passively  to  contemplate  the  clangers  to 
which  those  we  love  are  exposed,  impels  us  by  au  almost  super- 
stitious presentiment  to  believe  and  expect  the  worst.  When 
two  hours  and  more  had  elapsed,  the  housekeeper  with  precipi- 
tate haste  thrust  herself  panting  into  the  chamber,  and  roused 
the  maiden  from  this  unhappy  meditation,  with  an  abruptly- 
communicated  piece  of  news. 

"  His  Lordship  has  made  safe  work  of  it,  Mistress  Blanche, — 
most  joyful  work  of  it  ! — bless  him  for  a  charitable,  careful,  pains- 
taking Lord, — and  bless  you,  Mistress  Blanche,  for  your  thought- 
ful wisdom  in  sending  to  Father  Pierre.  Oh,  I  have  happy  news 
for  you  !" 

"  Tell  it,  I  pray  you,  Mistress  Bridget  !" 

"  Michael  Mossbank,  my  dear  young  lady,  comes  but  now, 
riding  in  at  full  speed  from  the  mill  of  St.  Inigoe's,  where  he  went 
an  hour  ago  to  have  a  chat  with  Bolt  the  miller " 

"  In  mercy,  tell  me  the  pith  of  this  story  at  once,"  interposed 
the  maiden  with  an  impatience  which  could  not  brook  the  house- 
keeper's prolixity. 

"  Well,  there,  Michael  spied,  as  he  was  talking  to  the  miller, 
■ — he   spied,    riding    along   the   road   from    Cornwaleys's   Cross 


ROB     OF    THE -BOWL.  291 

cowards  the  town,  who  do  you  think  ? — Why,  his  Lordship  and 
Father  Pierre,  both  looking-  as  long-faced  as  the  oldest  drudge 
horse  that  takes  a  meal-bag  to  mill — and  after  them,  some  good 
distance  behind,  riding  as  silent  as  if  they  were  going  to  a 
funeral,  Master  Albert, — oar  dear  Master  Albert, — and  that 
old  sinner  and  evil  adviser,  Captain  Dauntrees  of  the  Fort.  And 
as  this  plainly  signified  that  all  was  over  and  no  harm  done, 
Michael  mounts  his  nag  and  comes  clinking  home  here  as  fast  as 
four  legs  can  bring  him.     Isn't  it  precious  news,  Mistress  ?" 

"Art  sure  of  it,  Mistress  Coldcale  V  demanded  Blanche, 
with  a  sudden  sunshine  bursting  out  upon  her  face  and  chasing 
away  the  clouds  of  grief  which  but  a  moment  before  lowered 
upon  it — "  Art  truly  sure  of  it,  sweet  Bridget  ?" 

"  As  sure  of  it, — bless  you  for  a  happy  young  lady  ! — as 
that  my  name  was  Bridget  Skewer  till  my  dear  goodman,  peace 
to  his  bones  !  changed  it  into  Coldcale." 

Blanche  laughed  outright,  and  went  straight  into  the  parlor  to 
share  the  pleasure  of  this  piece  of  intelligence  with  her  sister  and 
the  Lady  Maria.  These  ladies,  however,  had  already  been  ap- 
prised of  all  that  the  housekeeper  had  told  to  the  maiden,  and 
the  pony  being  in  waiting  at  the  door,  the  sister  of  the  Proprie- 
tary hurried  off  with  a  speed  stimulated  by  her  eagerness  to  learn 
every  thing  from  her  brother,  leaving  Alice  and  the  maiden  happy 
in  finding  that  at  least  no  serious  harm  had  befallen  the  Secre- 
tary. 

Albert  Verheyden,  although  keenly  sensitive  to  the  displeas- 
ure of  the  Proprietary,  in  reviewing  his  conduct  throughout  the 
quarrel  with  the  skipper,  felt  a  lively  satisfaction  at  the  course 
he  had  pursued.  The  provocation  had  been  so  flagrant,  and  the 
bearing  of  Cocklescraft  towards  him  so  evidently  exasperated  by 
the  favor  he  had  won  from  the  maiden,  that  it  was  with  a  natu- 
ral exhultation  he  looked  back  upon  the  recent  meeting  and  its 


292  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

result.  His  sentiment  towards  his  adversary  in  this  retrospect, 
was  somewhat  of  the  nature  of  that  imputed,  in  the  metrical  tale, 
to  the  Chieftain  at  his  triumph  over  his  unnatural  brothers — 

"  I  trow  ye  wad  hae  sri'en  me  the  skaith, 
But  I've  gi'en  you  the  scorn." 

He  had  foiled  his  enemy  at  his  boasted  weapon,  and  sent 
him  humbled  from  the  field.  But  what  was  chiefly  pleasing  to 
him  in  the  review  was,  that  the  strife  had  arisen  in  the  cause  of 

\  Blanche  Warden,  and  that  he  had,  like  a  knight  of  ancient  ad- 
venture, rescued  her  from  the  importunity  of  a  disagreeable 
suitor.  The  reproof  of  the  Proprietary  .was  almost  lost  sight  of 
in  the  gratulation  of  his  own  heart  upon  the  successful  issue  of 
this  his  first  essay  of  manhood  ;  and,  besides,  he  felt  a  secret 
consciousness  that  however  his  Lordship  might  openly  chide  him 
for  this  infraction  of  the  law,  still  he  could  not  undervalue  him 
lor  his  prompt  resentment  of  an  offence  to  which,  especially  in 
that  age,  it  would  have  been  a  foul  dishonor  to  submit.  Then 
the  bland  interposition  and  affectionate  support  of  Father  Pierre, 
who  rebuked  as  became  a  churchman  the  rude  appeal  to  arms, 
and  yet  stood  by  him  as  a  friend  to  share  the  pleasure  of  his 
triumph,  gave  him  still  further  confidence  that  he  should  lose 
neither  the  countenance  nor  the  esteem  of  the  Proprietary  by  what 
had  happened.  With  a  disburdened  heart,  therefore,  and  a  con- 
tented spirit  of  self-approbation,  he  went  to  his  bed  that  night, 
and  enjoyed  a  sleep  as  refreshing  and  deep  as  the  slumber  of 
childhood. 

The  duel  was  attended  by  another  consequence  still  more  im- 

V  portant.  The  Secretary  had  become  the  champion  of  the  maiden 
of  the  Rose  Croft,  and  it  was  no  more  than  a  natural  sequence, 
justified  and  approved  by  all  experience,  that  he  should  claim  to 
think  of  her  as  his  mistress,  and  to  render  the  open  homage  of  a 
lover.     Heretofore  his  demeanor  towards  her  had  been  marked 


ROE     OF    THE     BOWL.  293 

by  a  quiet  humility,  an  almost  worshipping  deference — reserved 
and  struggling  to  conceal  the  passion  which  glowed  in  his  bosom: 
but  he  now  became  aware  of  a  sudden  change  in  his  estimate  of 
himself,  and  of  a  consciousness  that  his  manhood  entitled  him  tc 
speak  to  the  mistress  of  his  heart  with  bolder  speech  and  more 
unquestionable  pretension. 

When  morning  broke  upon  him  it  found  his  spirits  enlivened 
by  gay  thoughts,  and  his  countenance  made  cheerful  by  the 
impression  of  pleasant  dreams, — dreams  that  had  conducted  him 
into  fairy  bovvers  where  all  the  images  that  enchanted  his  view 
bore  some  reference  to  the  Rose  of  St.  Mary's.  He  sprang  from 
his  couch  with  the  buoyancy  of  unusual  health,  and,  whilst  he 
made  his  toilet,  his  mind  ran  with  an  impatient  resolve  upon  an 
early  visit  to  the  Rose  Croft. 

Accordingly,  as  soon  in  the  day  as  he  might  with  propriety 
visit  at  the  Collector's  dwelling — for  all  at  once  he  grew  scru- 
pulous as  to  these  observances  which,  until  now,  had  never 
entered  into  his  reckonings — he  was  mounted  on  his  steed  and 
forth  and  away,  a  gallant  cavalier  seeking  the  bower  of  his  lady- 
love. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  Rose  Croft,  Blanche  and  her  father 
were  just  prepared  to  set  out  on  a  morning's  walk,  and  were 
upon  the  lawn  sauntering  around  the  rustic  temple  which  con- 
tained the  altar  of  St.  Therese. 

"  Welcome,  Master  Verheyden,"  said  the  Collector  with  a 
brisk  and  cordial  greeting  ;  "  heartily  welcome  !  Zounds,  man, 
you  had  brought  us  into  a  fine  coil  yesterday  ! — my  women  here, 
Alice  and  Blanche,  yea  and  Mistress  Bridget  and  Meg  and  Sue, 
.  — the  whole  of  them, — were  as  much  astir  as  if  the  Sinniquoes 
had  made  an  inroad  upon  us.  You  have  been  playing  the 
buckler-man  since  we  saw  you  last  ; — you  must  try  your  hand  at 
edge  and  point,  Master  Albert.     Marry,  after  this  thou  mayst 


294  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

wear  thy  toledo  with  an  air,  cock  thy  beaver,  and  draw  at  a 
word,  like  a  pretty  fellow  of  the  rapier.  Give  us  a  hand,  good 
Albert,— I  thank  thee  for  the  service  thou  hast  done  in  lowering 
the  plume  of  that  saucy  sea-urchin.  Why  didst  not  run  him 
through  the  body  V 

The  Secretary  was  not  prepared  for  this  bluff  questioning, 
and  as  he  took  the  Collector's  hand,  his  cheek  reddened  and  he 
replied  with  a  modest  mien,  "  I  sought  no  quarrel  with  the 
skipper,  and  am  thankful  that  we  parted  with  so  little  hurt." 

Notwithstanding  the  complacency  with  which  Albert  regarded 
his  recent  conduct,  and  the  gaiety  of  heart  with  which  he  now 
visited  the  Rose  Croft,  and  despite  his  resolution  to  assume  a 
bolder  carriage  in  the  presence  of  Blanche,  his  bearing  at  this 
moment  was  characterized  by  more  than  ordinary  diffidence  and 
show  of  respect.  It  was  even  with  some  confusion  that  he  now 
approached  the  maiden  and  offered  her  his  hand  ;  and,  what  was 
equally  to  be  remarked,  Blanche  Warden,  on  her  part,  seemed  to 
have  lost  that  confiding  and  unguarded  tone  of  intimacy  with 
which  she  was  ever  in  the  habit  of  receiving  the  Secretary.  Still, 
joy  sparkled  in  her  eye  and  warmed  her  features  with  a  genial 
flush,  as  she  noted  Albert's  humbleness  in  her  presence,  and  read 
in  it  his  more  profound  sense  of  the  value  of  her  favor. 

"  Our  birth-day  feast,"  he  said,  after  saluting  the  maiden, 
"  will  be  well  remembered  in  the  province  for  the  general  con- 
tent it  has  given.  All  voices  are  praising  Mistress  Blanche  : 
and  she  has  won  many  sincere  wishes  from  the  townspeople  for 
long  and  happy  life." 

"Alas!"  replied  the  maiden,  "whatever  others  may  think, 
I  have  wept  sorely  for  that  unlucky  feast.  I  did  not  wish  it  at 
first,  and,  in  the  end,  had  better  reason  to  grieve  that  I  had  Jeen 
persuaded  to  make  it." 

"  Master  Verheyden,"  interposed  the  Collector,  "  thou  hast 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  295 

come  most  seasonably  hither  :  this  girl  must  have  me  consent  to 
trail  my  old  limbs  after  her,  like  a  young  gallant,  this  morning, 
in  a  ramble  to  enjoy  the  air,  as  she  calls  it — simply  because  she 
has  happened  to  leave  her  nest  with  the  merry  chirp  of  a  spring 
lark.  You  shall  take  my  place  as  a  fitter  man  for  such  service. 
There,  Blanche,  is  the  Secretary  for  thee — a  better  squire  than 
thy  old  rusty-jointed  father  !  I  have  a  more  profitable  calling 
on  hand  to  visit  my  fields.  Ha,  Master  Albert,  you  wear  a  love 
token  on  your  breast  !"  added  the  old  gentleman,  with  a  playful 
smile,  as  he  took  iu  his  hand  a  small  miniature  set  in  gold,  which 
hung  by  a  chain  from  the  Secretary's  neck,  and  had  accidentally 
escaped  unobserved  from  beneath  his  vest  in  the  action  of  dis- 
mounting from  his  horse  ;  "  some  lady  of  the  other  side  of  the 
water,  eh  ?  And  on  the  back,  here,  letters  which  my  eyes  are 
too  old  to  make  out  without  my  glasses — a  posy,  no  doubt  : 
'  Let  fools  great  Cupid's  yoke  disdain—'  thou  know'st  the  song, 
Master  ;  'tis  the  way  of  all  living." 

"''Tis  my  poor  mother's  likeness,"  said  Albert,  gravely,  at  the 
same  time  restoring  the  miniature  to  his  bosom.  "  She  put  it 
round  my  neck  with  her  own  hands  whilst  she  lay  upon  her  death- 
bed :  and  I  have  worn  it  ever  since.  'Tis  the  only  remembrance 
I  have  of  her.  I  was  a  child  when  she  died,  but  not  too  young 
to  feel  the  loss  of  one  who  loved  me  so  well." 

The  tear  started  into  the  Secretary's  eye  as  he  spoke,  and 
when  Mr.  Warden  saw  it,  a  tear  also  came  into  his,  which  he 
brushed  away  with  his  hand,  saying,  with  an  assumed  vivacity, 
"  Pardon,  good  lad  !  a  thousand  times  I  ask  your  forgiveness 
for  my  rude  speech.  I  did  not  think  of  what  I  said  :  and  I  but 
love  thee  the  more  for  thy  kind  memory  of  thy  mother.  Hang 
up  care  by  his  wing  !  the  world  is  overstocked  with  it.  You 
will  stay  dinner  with  "us,  good  master  ?  I  go  forth  to  look  aiter 
some  necessary  affairs,  and  will  be  back  before  this  girl  has  led 


296  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

yon  her  dance.  At  dinner  I  will  have  much  to  say  to  you  con- 
cerning that  tarpaulin  bully.  A  plague  on  the  wool  cap  !  I 
could  have  found  it  in  my  heart  to  fight  with  him  myself; — 
my  gray  hairs  against  his  raven  locks  !  Do  you  know,  Master 
Verheyden,  he  was  so  saucy  as  to  ask  my  leave  to  woo  our  girl 
here — this  Blanche  of  mine  ?  See,  how  the  child  hoists  her  red 
ensign  on  the  cheek  at  the  thought  of  it  : — ay,  and  pressed  it  on 
me  so  rudely,  and  with  such  clap-me-on-the-back  familiarity,  as 
he  would  have  used  to  cozen  Mistress  Dorothy  of  the  Crow  and 
Archer  out  of  a  jack  of  ale.  You  should  have  spitted  him  on 
your  sword,  for  a  public  benefaction,  and  had  the  thanks  of  the 
Mayor  and  Aldermen  for  your  good  works.  I  would  as  lief  see 
him  so  trussed  as  the  haunch  of  a  brocket  in  my  own  kitchen." 

"  Nay,  my  dear  father,"  interrupted  Blanche,  as  she  saw  a 
storm  rising  on  the  Collector's  brow,  "  pray  you  say  no  more 
about  the  skipper.  Master  Albert  does  not  like  to  be  tasked 
with  discourse  of  his  quarrel  ;  and  besides,  the  skipper — " 

"  Hath  had  his  belly  full,  I  warrant  thou  wouldst  say,  girl. 
Well,  well,  I  will  order  my  horse,  and  away  ;  so  go  your  own 
road.  Farewell,  Master  Albert,  until  I  see  you  again  at 
dinner." 

The  Secretary  and  the  maiden  now  set  forth  upon  their  walk, 
and  directed  their  steps  along  the  upper  margin  of  the  bank 
which  overhung  the  river,  until  they  were  soon  shaded  in  the 
forest  that  grew  thickly  upon  the  steep  slope  by  which  the  plain 
descended  to  the  beach.  Out  of  this  bank,  at  frequent  intervals, 
gushed  forth  pure  springs  of  water,  that  found  their  way  to  the 
river  through  beds  of  matted  grass  and  leaves.  A  light  sunny 
haze  mantled  the  whole  landscape  of  forest,  field,  and  river,  and 
threw  a  warm  and  rich  tint  over  the  perspective.  The  grass  was 
still  green  as  in  spring  ;  and  the  woods  glittered,  as  the  light 
breeze   shook   their    bright    and    many-colored    foliage,    which 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  291 

autumn  had  flung  like  a  harlequin  garb  over  their  limbs.  The 
scene,  at  all  times  pre-eminent  for  its  beauty,  was  now  fraught 
with  its  greatest  attraction  for  the  eye  :  and  the  genial  temper 
ature  of  the  season — that  delightful  period  when  the  first  frosts 
vanish  at  the  touch  of  the  sun — still  enhanced  the  pleasure  which 
the  spectator  felt  in  wandering  abroad. 

"  Heaver,  hath  garnished  out  no  fairer  land  than  this,"  said 
the  Secretary,  as  at  length,  after  pursuing  a  path  that  wound 
through  this  wilderness, — sometimes  descending  to  the  pebbly 
beach  and  again  rising  to  the  level  of  the  plain  above, — Blanche 
had  seated  herself  upon  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  in  a  position 
from  which  the  whole  extent  of  the  river,  the  fort,  and  the  upper 
headland,  with  the  Town  House,  were  visible  ;  "nor  is  there  a 
nook  upon  this  wide  globe  which  I  would  more  contentedly  make 
my  home." 

"  I  trust  it  will  ever  be  your  home,  Master  Albert,"  was  the 
maiden's  reply  ;  "  they  who  come  hither  from  the  old  world 
seldom  think  of  going  back.     You  can  find  no  reason  to  return." 

"  My  fortunes  are  guided  by  our  good  Lord,"  returned  the 
Secretary,  "  and  even  now  he  sometimes  speaks  of  going  hence 
again  to  England.  With  my  own  free  will  I  should  never  leave 
this  sunny  land.  These  woods  are  richer  to  my  eye  than  pent-up 
cities  ;  these  spreading  oaks  and  stately  poplars,  than  our  groined 
and  shafted  cathedrals  and  our  cloistered  aisles  :  yes,  and  I  more 
love  to  think  of  the  free  range  of  this  woodland  life,  these  forest- 
fed  deer,  and  flight  of  flocking  wild  fowl,  than  all  the  busy 
assembling  of  careful  men  which  throng  the  great  marts  of 
trade." 

"  Surely  his  Lordship  would  not  take  you  hence  against  your 

will,"  said  Blanche,  thoughtfully.     "  Indeed  we  could  not," — she 

continued,  and'  then  suddenly  checking  herself,  as  if  upon  some 

self-reproof  for  speaking  more  freely  than  was  proper,  added, 

13* 


298       .  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

''  Ms  Lordship  will  not  leave  the  province  again, — or  if  he 
does " 

"  I  am  but  an  humble  secretary  of  his  Lordship,"  interrupted 
Albert,  "  and  needs  must  follow  as  he  shall  command." 

"  He  will  not  command  it,  Master  Albert.  Our  clear  Lady 
Maria  loves  you  well,  as  I  have  heard  her  say,  and  will  persuade 
his  Lordship  to  command  you  stay." 

"  I  need  not  his  command,"  replied  the  Secretary  ;  "  it  would 
be  enough  for  me  I  was  not  constrained  to  go  hence  ;  your  wish, 
Mistress  Blanche, — nay,  your  permission  would  keep  me  here, 
even  if  my  inclination  tended  back  again  to  the  old  world." 

"  My  wish,  Master  Albert  !  how  could  I  have  other  wish  but 
that  you  stay  ?"  inquired  the  maiden,  in  ail  singleness  of  heart. 
"  Do  we  not  sing  and  play  together  ;  ride,  sail,  hawk,  and  hunt 
together  ?  Have  you  not  promised  to  render  that  history  of  the 
good  Chevalier  into  English  for  me  ?  Am  I  not  to  be  skilled  in 
the  French  tongue,  under  your  teaching  ?  Oh,  how  could  I  wish 
other  than  that  you  stay  with  us,  Master  Albert  ?" 

"  Come  what  hazards  may,"  said  the  Secretary,  with  deep 
emotion,  as  he  took  the  maiden's  hand,  "  I  swear  by  this  good 
clay  and  by  this  beauteous  world,  that  I  will  never  leave  thee." 

"  But  few  words  more  passed — and  these  were  of  such  an 
import  as  my  reader  may  well  conceive,  from  what  has  gone 
before — till  Albert  Verheyden  kneeled  at  the  maid-en^s  feet  and 
vowed  unalterable  devotion  to  her  happiness,  and  rose  a  be- 
trothed lover.  With  lingering  steps  and  freer  speech,  Blanche 
hanging  on  Albert's  arm,  the  plighted  pair  slowly  returned  to  the 
Rose  Croft 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


I  guess  by  all  this  quaint  array 

The  burghers  hold  their  sports  to-day. 

Scott. 


The  day  appointed  for  the  prize-play  was  mild  and  clear  ;  and 
as  the  anticipation  of  the  sport  had  created  a  stir  throughout  the 
province,  there  was  reason  to  expect  a  large  attendance. 

Stark  Whittle  had,  within  a  year  past,  emigrated  to  the  do- 
minions of  the  Proprietary,  from  Jamaica,  and  by  dint  of  trum- 
peting his  own  renown — an  act  for  which  the  professors  of  his 
craft  were  somewhat  distinguished — had  obtained  the  repute  of 
a  skilful  master  of  fence.  Sergeant  Travers  had  been  several 
years  in  the  province,  and  had  already  established  his  fame,  in 
more  than  one  trial,  with  such  wandering  professors  of  the  Noble 
Science  as,  at  that  era,  were  to  be  found  in  every  quarter  of 
Christendom.  Great  expectations  were  therefore  entertained  of 
an  encounter  of  rare  interest  to  the  men  of  the  sword — a  class 
which  might  be  said  to  have  comprehended  not  only  the  military 
men  of  the  times,  and  such  gentlemen  in  civil  life  as  were  educa- 
ted in  the  use  of  the  weapon,  but  also  that  extensive  circle  of 
idlers,  boasters,  tavern-frequenters,  and  sport-loving  gentry 
which  have  always  passed  under  the  denomination  of  choice 
spirits. 

Under  the  direction  of  Colonel   Talbot — the  patron  of  all 
sports  and  pastimes  in  the  province — a  platform,  or  stage  of  deal 


oOO  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

Li'ds,  (bout  twenty  feet  square  and  three  feet  above  the  ground. 
I  een  constructed,  near  the  centre  of  ti.e  coinmou  in  the  re.ir 
of  the  Town  House.  A  few  paces  from  the  platform  stood  a 
flagstaff,  from  which  floated  a  forked  pennon  bearing  the  device 
of  the  provincial  arms,  ambitiously  executed  in  oil  by  Master 
Bister,  the  artist  of  the  city.  On  a  skirt  of  the  common,  some 
six  or  eight  tents  marked  the  position  of  the  Court  of  Guard, 
formed  by  the  garrison  of  the  fort,  under  the  command  of  Nich- 
olas Verbrack,  the  Lieutenant.  Opposite  to  this  encampment,  a 
range  of  booths  had  been  erected  by  the  townspeople,  where  was 
displayed  every  variety  of  refreshment  which  the  housekeeping 
stores  of  the  proprietors  might  afford.  These  booths  were  dis- 
tinguished by  various  devices  in  the  way  of  signs  ;  oue  present- 
ing a  banner  hung  out  on  a  pole  with  a  rude  representation  of 
a  Cock  in  jack-boots  and  sword,  with  his  neck  stretched  as  in  the 
act  of  crowing,  and  a  label  from  his  bill  having  written  on  it, 

"  STARK    WHITTLE    FOR    EVER  !" 

whilst  another  manifested  its  partizanship  for  the  adverse  cham- 
pion, by  the  device  of  a  bull  in  armor,  reared  on  his  hind  legs, 
with  the  inscription, 

"sergeant  travers. 
the  old  sword  against  the  new  buckler." 

Others  were  designated  simply  by  a  green  bush,  the  old  sign  of 
good  wine  within.  Amongst  these  temporary  sheds  was  espe- 
cially to  be  noted  one  which  was  surmounted  by  a  towering  staff 
bearing  a  flag  embellished  with  the  cross  of  St.  Andrew,  whose 
proprietorship  was  sufficiently  indicated  by  a  flaring  sign  painted 
on  canvass,  aiming,  though  not  very  perspicuously,  to  represent  a 
portraiture  of  the  Crow  and  Archer,  from  the  pallet  of  Master 
Bister.     Sundry  legends,  scrawled  in  charcoal  over  the  front  of 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  301 

the  booth,  expressed  the  utmost  impartiality  between  the  combat- 
ants  and  their  several  friends,  as  might  be  read  in  such  as 
"Honor  to  the  brave,"  "  A  fair  field  and  no  favors,"  and  others 
of  similar  import  equally  guarding  against  the  accident  of  deno- 
ting the  party  of  the  host.  Within  the  shed  the  saucy  face  of 
our  jolly  Dame  Dorothy  might  have  been  seen,  long  before  the 
appointed  hour  of  the  combat,  as  she  busied  herself  in  adjusting 
matters  to  meet  the  expected  pressure  of  the  day. 

Such  was  the  picture  presented  on  the  Town  Common  about 
noon.  Already  a  large  number  of  the  inland  inhabitants  had 
arrived,  and  troops  of  new  comers  were  every  moment  seen  halt- 
ing their  horses  in  the  vicinity  of  the  common  :  others  were  dis- 
cerned as  far  off  as  the  inequalities  of  the  country  allowed, 
journeying  down  from  the  distant  highlands,  or  moving  forward 
in  irregular  squadrons  across  the  plain  by  every  road  which  led 
to  the  town.  The  river  presented  a  scene  not  less  animated. 
Boats  of  various  sizes,  from  a  pinnace  down  to  a  canoe,  were 
sprinkled  over  the  whole  expanse,  of  water,  ferrying  across  the 
inhabitants  who  resided  beyond  the  St.  Mary's  river,  as  well  as 
many  from  the  opposite  shore  of  the  Potomac.  The  hostel  of 
Master  Weasel  was  thronged  with  guests,  and  every  ale-house 
and  ordinary  of  inferior  note  bore  testimony  to  the  attraction 
which  the  projected  prize-play  presented  to  the  country  people 
both  far  and  near. 

Meantime-the  combatants  were  not  yet  accessible  to  the  sight 
of  the  inquisitive  crowd.  They  were  each  in  charge  of  their  re- 
spective friends.  Stark  Whittle  had  selected  Captain  Coode  as 
his  patron,  and  war,  now  lodged  in  the  house  of  the  burgess, 
where  he  was  attended  by  a  troop  of  those  professional  backers 
who  are  ever  at  hand  on  occasions  of  sport  with  their  advice, — ■ 
men  who,  whether  imbued  with  skill  or  not,  are  still  prone  to  take 
the  credit  of  being  well  versed  in  the  mysteries  of  the  game. 


302  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

These  were  now  busy,  or  affected  to  be  so,  in  preparing  their 
champion  for  his  encounter,  exhibiting  all  that  show  of  science  in 
the  minutiae  of  the  craft  which  belongs  to  their  class.  Under 
their  direction,  the  swordsman  had  been,  for  several  days,  put 
under  a  diet  which  was  alleged  to  be  scrupulously  regulated  to 
produce  the  clue  quantum  of  strength  without  an  increase  of  bulk ; 
he  had  been  breathed  a  certain  number  of  hours  each  day  in  the 
exercise  of  his  weapon  ;  and  now  that  the  moment  of  trial  was  at 
hand,  great  exactness  and  care  were  displayed  in  anointing  his 
limbs  with  bear's  grease,  to  give  them  their  requisite  suppleness. 
The  same  precautious,  with  the  same  pedantry,  were  bestowed 
upon  Sergeant  Travers,  who,  still  shut  up  in  the  fort,  was  under- 
going the  discipline  of  Captain  Dauntrees  and  Arnold  de  la 
Grange, — both  of  these  worthies  claiming  to  be  adepts  in  this 
important  matter  of  training  for  a  prize  play. 

About  an  half  hour  before  four  o'clock,  the  common  was 
filled  with  the  groups  of  spectators,  leaving  the  town  almost 
emptied  of  its  inhabitants.  These  thronged  around  the  booths, 
or  strolled  across  the  plain,  or  took  their  places  at  the  platform. 
Nicholas  Yerbrack,  at  this  moment,  wheeled  off  his  company  from 
the  Court  of  Guard,  and,  marching  to  the  scene  of  the  expected 
fight,  formed  them  in  two  ranks,  immediately  behind  the  flag- 
staff, which  might  be  said  to  represent  the  head  of  the  lists. 
From  this  position  he  detached  sentinels,  armed  with  pikes,  who 
were  posted  at  intervals,  in  military  fashion,  around  the  platform, 
at  the  distance  of  some  ten  paces  from  it,  beyond  which  limit  the 
lookers-on  were  compelled  to  retire,  leaving  the  intervening  space 
entirely  clear.  The  crowd  which  was  thus  thrust  back,  consisted 
indifferently  of  both  sexes, — the  women,  as  is  always  the  case  in 
public  shows  wherever  they  may  gain  admission,  forming  no 
inconsiderable  portion  of  the  mass,  and  they  were  now  seen 
elbowing  their  way  to  the  front  of  the  throng,  and  sustaining 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  303 

their  positions  there,  with  as  stout  resolve  as  the  sturdiest  of 
their  antagonists.  Carts,  wagons,  tumbrels,  and  sundry  nonde- 
script conveyances,  fabricated  for  the  occasion  and  laden  to  their 
utmost  capacity  with  females,  formed  a  kind  of  rear  division  sur- 
rounding the  stage.  Several  gentlemen,  among  whom  was  the 
Proprietary,  accompanied  by  his  uncle,  Philip  Calvert  the  Chan- 
cellor, nearly  all  the  members  of  the  council.  Master  Anthony 
Warden,  and  others,  were  seen  grouped  together  on  horseback. 
Albert  Yerheyden  with  Benedict  Leonard  had  come  in  the  train 
of  this  party,  but  were  now  observed  in  various  quarters  of  the 
field,  as  they  rode  around  to  amuse  themselves  with  the  spectacle. 
Chiseldine,  the  reverend  Master  Yeo,  and  some  others  conspic- 
uous in  the  ranks  of  opposition  to  the  Proprietary  and  his  party, 
were  seen  frequently  reining  up  their  horses  together  in  small 
squads,  and  as  often  dispersing,  as  if  under  some  occasional  sug- 
gestion against  the  propriety  of  their  consorting  too  much 
together  in  public.  Cocklescraft,  with  Roche  del  Carmine  and 
three  or  four  men  in  sailors'  dress, — the  skipper  and  his  mate 
being  both  armed  rather  beyond  what  was  usual, — strolled  about 
the  field,  without  ostensibly  participating  in  the  affairs  of  either 
party. 

The  scene  presented  a  lively  and  striking  spectacle.  The 
musketeers  in  their  green  livery,  drawn  up  beneath  the  pennon 
that  fluttered  above  the  stage  ;  the  motley  crowd  of  persons  of 
both  sexes  that  surrounded  the  platform,  taxing  all  the  vigilance 
of  the  sentinels  to  prevent  them  from  pressing  beyond  their 
allotted  boundary  ;  the  scarlet  hoods  and  glittering  head-gear, 
wimples,  coifs,  caps,  and  bright-colored  petticoats,  mingled  in  the 
mass  with  the  russet  serge  and  round  hat  of  the  rustic,  and  with 
the  gayer  holiday-attire  of  belted  burghers  and  bluff  landholders 
arrayed  in  swords,  short  cloaks  and  plumed  beavers  ;  the  troops 
of  spectators  that  moved  over  the  field  on  horseback,  some  with 


304  ROT!     OF     THE     BOWL. 

the  sober  steadiness  of  age,  and  others  with  the  prankishness  of 
young  cavaliers  anxious  to  display  their  horsemanship  in  the 
caracole,  the  denii-volte,  the  courbette,  and  the  various  other 
points  of  equestrian  skill  to  which  the  jargon  of  that  day  supplied 
names  ;  the  bustle  of  strolling  idlers  that  hovered  about  the 
booths,  where  the  twangling  of  a  fiddle  in  one  quarter  and  the 
rattle  of  dice  in  another  rose  in  a  confused  din  upon  the  ear, 
mingled  with  the  oaths  of  drinkers  and  the  nimble-tongued  and 
shrill  tones  of  the  authoritative  dame  of  the  Crow  and  Archer, 
as  she  chid  or  promoted  the  clamor  around  her  : — all  these 
images,  grouped  together  on  the  beautiful  plain  of  St.  Mary's, 
with  that  transparent  blue  heaven  above,  and  the  matchless 
foliage  of  the  Fall  giving  to  the  forest  the  hues  of  the  dying 
dolphin,  and  the  mild,  invigorating  coolness  of  that  incomparable 
season  which  ushers  in  the  gradual  march  of  winter,  diffusing 
health  and  buoyancy  into  every  frame, — afforded  a  picture  which 
was  calculated  to  inspire  a  high  sense  of  enjoyment  in  those  who 
witnessed  it,  and  which  would  scarcely  fail  to  produce  something 
of  the  same  impression  if  skilfully  delineated  on  the  canvass. 

At  a  signal  from  Colonel  Talbot,  a  trumpeter  bearing  an 
instrument,  which,  like  himself,  was  decorated  with  ribbons, 
mounted  upon  the  stage  and  blew  forth  a  sprightly  summons. 
When  this  was  repeated  thrice,  two  small  parties  were  seen 
entering  on  the  common  from  different  quarters.  That  which 
came  from  the  direction  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  was  imme- 
diately descried  as  Stark  Whittle  and  his  party,  consisting  of 
Captain  Coode  with  three  or  four  attendants.  The  champion 
was  wrapped  in  a  horseman's  cassock  that  concealed  his  figure 
from  observation,  whilst  beside  him  walked  his  second,  a  squat, 
brawny,  fierce  little  man,  with  a  huge  red  nose,  a  squint  in  one 
eye,  a  s^ar  across  his  brow,  and  a  large  broad-flapped  beaver 
\  garnished  with  a  black  ostrich  feather  which  hung  backward  a 


ROB     OF    THE     B 0 W L .  305 

span  below  his  shoulder.  This  worthy  enjoyed  the  designation 
of  Ensign  Tick,  being  a  decayed  officer  of  Lord  Cecil's  time,  and 
still  retaining  his  title,  though  reduced  to  a  sharking  livelihood 
in  a  civil  station.  He  was,  like  his  principal,  shrouded  in  a 
cloak  :  in  one  hand  he  bore  a  pair  of  swords,  and  in  the  other  a 
small  creel  or  basket,  containing  a  bottle  of  usquebaugh  and  sun- 
dry commodities  used  for  the  speedy  staunching  of  a  wound, — 
furniture  familiar  to  the  backers  of  heroes  in  such  circumstances 
as  those  of  his  principal  at  the  present  moment.  The  other  group 
came  from  the  quarter  of  the  Town  House,  by  the  road  that  led 
up  from  the  Crow  and  Archer,  where  they  had  betaken  them- 
selves to  await  the  summons  :  it  was  composed  of  Travel's, 
attended  by  Captain  Dauntrees,  and  his  second,  the  sergeant- 
major  of  the  musketeers,  bearing  the  name  of  Master  Stocket, — 
one  or  two  privates  of  the  same  corps,  and  a  cortege  of  bare- 
headed and  bare-legged  boys,  that  stepped  forth  at  the  full  com- 
pass of  their  stride,  to  keep  pace  with  the  rapid  movement  of  the 
principals  of  the  party. 

As  soon  as  these  adverse  bands  came  within  the  range  of  the 
crowd,  lanes  were  opened  for  their  admission,  and  the  two  cham- 
pions, advancing  to  an  open  space  before  the  guard  of  soldiers, 
there  threw  aside  their  cloaks  and  sprang  upon  the  stage.  They 
were  instantly  followed  by  their  seconds,  whilst  a  flourish  of  the 
trumpet  and  a  long  ruffle  from  the  drums  and  fifes  of  the  mus- 
keteers announced  that  the  ceremonies  of  the  fight  were  about 
to  commence. 

The  champions  were  both  men  of  fine  shape  and  sinew,  nearly 
equal  in  height  and  bulk,  and  both  came  to  their  engagement 
with  apparently  composed  and  cheerful  countenances.  The  only/ 
face  of  wrath  and  fire  correspondent  to  the  valorous  prowess 
which  had  impelled  this  warlike  meeting,  was  that  of  Ensign 
Tick.     He  alone  seemed  to  be  duly  impressed  with  the  resent- 


o06  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

rne^it  which  a  belligerent  should  indulge  in  such  a  strife.  Ser- 
geant-Major Stocket  retained  a  practised  calmness  that  was 
altogether  professional,  and  performed  his  duty  on  the  stage  with 
exemplary  gravity.  The  champions  were  dressed  in  military 
costume  ;  Travers  in  that  of  his  corps,  Whittle  in  the  cumbrous 
scarlet  coat  of  the  English  uniform.  Both  wore  the  heavy  wide- 
legged  boot,  which,  immediately  after  mounting  the  stage,  they 
exchanged  for  shoes.  As  soon  as  this  was  done,  they  were  seve- 
rally disrobed  of  their  coats,  and  thus  presented  for  the  combat  in 
their  shirt  sleeves.  A  fillet  of  red  ribbon  was  tied  around  the  right 
arm  of  the  challenger  above  the  elbow,  whilst  one  of  green  was 
similarly  adjusted  on  the  arm  of  Travers.  During  the  arranging 
of  these  preliminaries,  Dauntrees  and  Coode  had  ascended  the 
platform,  that  they  might,  as  patrons  of  the  parties,  bear  testi- 
mony to  the  due  observance  of  the  established  laws  of  the  play. 
When  all  was  done,  and  the  combatants  were  announced  to  be 
ready  for  the  encounter,  Coode  retired  from  the  stage  and  took 
a  post  at  the  end  of  the  platform  most  remote  from  the  flag-staff, 
whilst  Dauntrees  marched  with  military  precision  to  a  post  in 
front  of  his  company,  where  taking  a  halberd  from  a  sergeant 
who  held  it  ready  for  him,  he  planted  himself,  erect  and  stately, 
immediately  at  the  head  of  his  men.  The  seconds  now  advanced, 
each  bearing  in  his  hand  a  pair  of  back-swords  of  moderate 
length,  and  each  selecting  one  for  his  principal,  these  were  mea- 
sured in  public,  to  show — what  had  indeed  been  previously  ad- 
justed by  private  regulation — that  no  advantage  was  possessed 
by  either  side  in  the  length  of  weapon,  and  after  this  ceremony 
they  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  those  who  were  to  use  them. 
The  seconds  then  retired  to  opposite  points  on  the  platform, 
whilst  the  champions  t  ems  1  -.  with  a  praiseworthy  courtesy 
and  some  expression  of  good  will,  shook  hands  ;  after  which, 
with    a  flourish  of  swords  and  a  gay  alacrity  of  manner,  thej 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  30? 

wheeled  round  and  took  the  stations  allotted  to  them  by  their 
seconds. 

All  this  time  the  utmost  silence  pervaded  the  crowd  of 
spectators.  Every  one  had  pressed  .towards  the  stage  at  the 
summons  of  the  trumpet  :  the  booths  were  deserted,  or  left  with 
but  a  solitary  watchman  :  a  sentinel,  here  and  there,  in  the  verge 
of  the  little  encampment  on  the  skirt  of  the  common,  was  the 
only  moving  thing  that  was  not  crowded  up  to  the  scene  of  con- 
flict. The  Proprietary  and  his  friends  had  a  post  of  honor  assigned 
to  them  iu  the  rear  of  Dauntrees's  soldiers,  whence  they  might 
minutely  observe  all  that  was  going  on.  Chiseldine  and  his  party 
occupied  a  post  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  stage,  relatively  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Proprietary  ;  but,  as  no  space  was  kept  clear 
for  their  accommodation,  they  were  forced  somewhat  in  the  rear 
of  the  crowd  of  spectators  on  foot,  and  a  close  observer  might 
have  seen  in  their  thoughtful  countenances  that  other  subjects 
besides  the  trivial  amusements  of  the  hour  occupied  their  minds. 

The  champions  now  took  their  attitudes  of  attack  and  defence 
and  forthwith  engaged  with  great  vigor.  Blows  were  made  and 
parried  with  masterly  address.  A  quick  onset,  the  assailant 
pressing  his  antagonist  across  the  full  length  of  the  stage,  was 
returned  with  an  assault  not  less  prompt,  and  the  weapons  were 
wielded  with  a  dexterity  and  sleight  that  almost  defied  the  eye 
to  follow  the  several  strokes  and  their  counter  defences.  Nothing 
was  heard  but  the  clank  of  steel  and  the  sullen  stamp  of  the 
combatants  on  the  boards  of  the  platform,  as  they  gave  and  re- 
ceived blows  ;  but,  as  yet,  neither  party  had  gained  advantage  ; 
and  the  seconds,  deeming  that  the  first  bout  was  played  long 
enough,  interposed  to  give  their  principals  time  to  breathe. 

Whilst  the  combatants,  in  this  interval,  were  refreshing 
themselves  under  the  care  of  their  seconds,  the  busy  murmur  of 
conversation  amongst  the  crowd  announced  the  interest  which 


308  ROB     OF     THE     BOW  I. 

the  play  inspired.  Many  tokens  of  active  partisanship  began  tc 
manifest  themselves,  and  it  was  obvious,  from  the  emphasis  with 
which  the  commendations  were  bestowed  upon  the  new  champion 
Whittle,  that  he  was  a  decided  favorite  of,  at  least,  one  party 
on  the  field, — a  party  composed  exclusively  of  Protestants; 
whilst  those  of  the  Catholic  faith  were  no  less  energetic  in  their 
advocacy  of  Travers.  It  had  already  grown  to  be  a  sectarian 
division  of  feeling,  founded  on  the  well-known  religions  professions 
of  the  two  champions  ;  and  as  the  Protestants  were  the  most 
numerous  on  the  ground,  it  may  be  affirmed  that  Stark  Whittle 
eulisted  the  larger  share  of  popular  admiration.  John  Coode 
was  not  backward  to  foment  the  party  spirit,  which  had  thus 
unfortunately  begun  to  be  developed,  by  such  artifices  as  he  well 
knew  how  to  practise. 

"  Stark  battles  with  the  Papist  as  old  Luther  battled  with 
the  Devil,"  he  said  exultingly  to  a  group  of  inland  proprietors 
who  were  casually  discussing  the  expected  issue  of  the  fight  ; 
"  we  shall  see  this  cub  of  Papacy  disciplined  with  a  wholesome 
Protestant  purgation  presently." 

The  din  of  voices  was  suddenly  stilled  by  the  notes  of  the 
trumpet,  announcing  the  renewal  of  the  fight.  The  parties  again 
took  their  posts  ;  and  again  the  clash  of  swords  was  heard,  falling 
thickly  upon  the  ear.  All  was  suspense  and  silence,  except  that 
now,  as  a  casual  advantage  was  gained  by  one  or  other  of  the 
combatants,  notes  of  applause  and  exhortation  rose  in  half-stifled 
tones  from  the  friends  of  either  side,  or  ejaculations  of  fear  from 
their  opponents, — these  proceeding  most  frequently  from  the 
females.  This  passage,  however,  suddenly  terminated  by  a  stroke 
from  Whittle's  sword,  the  point  of  which  just  severed  the  skiu 
upon  Travers's  brow.  The  appearance  of  blood  was  a  signal  to 
drop  their  points,  and  thus  the  combatants  were  afforded  a  second 
breathing  spell.     The  wound  of  Sergeant  Travers  was  no  sooner 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  309 

perceived  than  the  whole  party  who  had  taken  such  interest  in 
his  adversary's  success,  raised  a  shout  of  exultation  that  rent  the 
air.  This  manifestation  of  triumph,  rousing  the  partisans  of  the 
opposite  champion  into  a  tone  of  feeling  that  partook  of  defiance, 
they  returned  the  acclamation  with  no  less  vehemence,  taking  the 
word  from  Talbot  as  he  galloped  round  the  confines  of  the  crowd 
— "  Success  to  Gilbert  Travers,  a  tried  master  of  the  Noble 
Science  !" 

In  this  temper  of  the  bystanders,  the  third  passage  was  an- 
nounced. Again  the  combatants  engaged,  with  more  than  their 
former  vehemence, — for,  taking  the  hue  of  their  respective  adhe- 
rents, they  were  wrought  up  into  a  state  of  ardent  hostility, 
which  showed  itself  in  the  acerbity  and  vigor  of  their  blows. 
The  spectators  were  sensibly  impelled,  as  the  struggle  waxed 
fiercer,  into  more  intense  and  angry  maintenance  of  their  cham- 
pions, and  all  other  thoughts  seemed  now  to  be  absorbed  in  the 
desire  of  victory.  Unlike  the  former  passages,  this  was  accom- 
panied with  all  the  clamor  of  incensed  rivalry.  At  no  instant 
were  the  voices  of  partisans  lulled  into  silence.  "  Bravo,  good 
Stark  ! — Well  played,  Gilbert !"  "  Huzza,  excellent  !  Nobly 
parried,  Sergeant  !" — and  similar  expressions  of  encouragement, 
burst  forth  from  the  lips  of  the  excited  groups,  as  they  involun- 
tarily laid  their  hands  upon  their  swords,  and,  breaking  through 
all  constraint,  passed  up  to  the  frame  of  the  platform.  In  the 
height  of  this  animating  impulse,  Travers  threw  aside  a  blow 
which  had  been  directed  with  great  energy  at  his  breast,  and  the 
vigor  with  which  he  parried  it  swayed  the  sword  of  his  adversary 
so  far  out  of  his  sphere  of  defence,  as  to  leave  his  body  open  to 
the  return  stroke,  which  was  plied  with  such  effect  as  to  make  a 
deep  incision  midway  down  Whittle's  thigh  and  thence  across  the 
knee,  laying  open  the  flesh,  through  that  whole  track,  to  the  bone, 
and  covering  the  wounded  man  with  his  blood.     It  was  observed 


310  BOB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

that  Whittle's  previous  stroke  had  been  thrown  with  such  vio- 
lence as  to  cause  him  to  reel  from  his  footing  when  the  force  of 
\  the  blow  was  clashed  aside  into  the  air,  and  many  were  of  opinion 
that  this  slip  of  the  foot  was  an  accident  which  should  have  saved 
him  from  the  return  cut  that  was  made  with  such  disabling-  effect. 
It  was  instantly  apparent  that  this  hit  decided  the  fight  and  gave 
the  victory  to  the  Sergeant  of  Musketeers. 

"  A  Roland  for  an  Oliver  !"  exclaimed  Talbot  with  wild 
exultation.  "  Admirable,  Sergeant  ! — well  done  ! — you  have 
shorn  the  spur  of  that  cock  for  a  while,  at  least." 

"  Huzza  for  Travers  !"  resounded  over  the  field  from  the 
voices  of  the  large  party  of  his  friends  ;  whilst,  on  the  other 
Bide,  with  equal  vehemence,  was  shouted,  "  Foul  play!  Shame, 
shame  !     A  papistical,  cowardly  trick  !" 

"  I'll  meet  thee,  for  a  beggarly  foister,"  cried  an  incensed 
partisan,  who  sprang  upon  the  platform  and  shook  his  sword  in 
Travers's  face — "  I'll  meet  thee,  Master  Toasting-iron,  when  you 
dare  ! — I'll  give  thee  a  lesson  for  striking  a  man  below  the  knee." 

"  Push  it  at  him  now,  Master  Hardcastle,"  exclaimed  a  sec- 
ond, following  in  the  steps  of  the  new  challenger  ;  he  deserves  no 
better  than  to  be  put  on  his  defence  where  he  stands — for  a 
filthy  Roman  as  he  is.  A  foul  cut  below  the  knee,  and  at  a  man 
who  had  lost  his  footing  !     That  is  the  upshot  of  his  valor  !" 

These  invaders  of  the  platform  were  instantly  confronted  by 
two  or  three  of  the  opposite  party  who  ascended  the  stage  to 
drag  them  off ; — and,  in  turn,  some  dozens  of  either  complexion 
in  the  quarrel  sprang  to  the  aid  of  their  respective  friends — thus 
presenting  on  both  sides  a  compact  body  of  excited  opponents 
fiercely  bent  on  mischief. 

Talbot  was  instantly  off  his  horse,  and,  sword  in  hand,  rushed 
to  the  scene  of  broil,  calling  upon  Dauntrees  to  advance  his  men 
and  make  a  clear  stage.     Swords  were  drawn  in  all  quarters, 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  311 

and  the  first  person  with  whom  Talbot  came  in  conflict  was  John 
Coode,  who,  with  his  naked  weapon  in  his  hand,  was  stimulating 
his  partisans  to  commence  an  assault.  Talbot  seized  him  by  the 
front  of  his  coat,  and  presenting  the  point  of  his  sword  to  his 
breast,  cried  out — "  S wilier  of  a  tap  room  !  by  my  hand,  if  thou 
openest  thy  rotten  throat  with  but  a  cough,  I  will  thrust  my 
sword  ell  deep  into  thy  worthless  body.     Begone,  hound  !" 

And  with  this  word  he  pushed  the  burgess  violently  over  the 
edge  of  the  platform  on  the  brink  of  which  he  stood.  In  a  mo- 
ment the  musketeers  were  marched  by  Danntrees,  in  solid  mass, 
upon  the  stage,  and  the  threatened  rioters  were  thus  expelled 
from  the  seat  of  contest.  Holding  this  position,  the  troops  had 
the  command  of  the  field,  and  by  threatening  to  fire,  which 
Dauntrees,  with  the  trained  coolness  of  an  old  soldier,  announced, 
in  a  stentorian  voice,  he  would  certainly  do  if  further  violence 
were  menaced,  Chiseldine,  Coode,  and  their  companions,  amongst 
whom  was  Parson  Yeo,  interfered  to  quiet  the  tumult  and  draw 
off  their  adherents.  During  all  this  commotion,  Corporal  Abbot 
was  seen  on  the  outer  skirt  of  the  crowd,  brandishing  his  weapon, 
and  hurrying  to  and  fro  with  a  look  which  had  wrath  enough 
in  it  to  annihilate  the  whole  Church  of  Rome,  yet  mixed  up  with 
a  discretion  which  would  have  left  a  casual  spectator  at  a  loss 
to  determine  exactly  on  what  side  he  was  arrayed.  "  Odso  !" 
he  ejaculated ;  "let  me  into  that  skirmish!  I  will  teach  them 
orderly  behavior, — the  varlets  !  Shall  we  have  brawls  put  upon 
us  ?  Shall  we  digest  cold  iron  against  our  will  ?  No,  by  my 
belt — not  whilst  my  name  is  Abbot  !  The  fight  will  be  this  way 
presently — and,  I  warrant  you,  my  hand  is  in  it." 

"  Put  up  your  sword,  you  venturesome  fool,"  exclaimed  Ver- 
brack,  who,  in  hurrying  round  the  confines  of  the  crowd  with  a 
small  party  of  the  musketeers,  encountered  the  man  of  war  in  the 
height  of  his  ire — "  put  up  your  sword — nor  stand  vaporing  here 


312  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

like  a  grain  thrasher  !" — which  exhortation  the  Lieutenant  ac 
companied  with  a  slight  blow  across  the  offender's  shoulders, 
laid  on  with  the  flat  of  his  sword. 

"  Ha,  ha  !  venturesome,  you  may  find  me,  truly,  Master 
Lieutenant  ;  but,  as  you  say,  it  is  a  good  example  to  put 
up  our  weapons  when  headstrong  men  might  be  led  off  by 
evil  examples  ;"  with  which  sage  reflection  the  wrath  of  the 
Corporal  suddenly  surceased,  and  his  weapon  was  immediately 
consigned  to  its  sheath,  whence  it  was  not  abstracted  for  full  five 
seconds  after  the  Lieutenant  had  disappeared. 

Godfrey  had,  at  the  first  symptom  of  confusion,  retired 
from  the  field,  and  Cocklescraft,  with  his  seamen,  stood  by 
an  unconcerned  spectator  of  the  whole  scene — nor  passed  a 
word  with  any  one,  except  that  at  one  moment,  when  stalking 
around  the  platform,  the  halberd  of  Dauntrees  accidentally, 
and  without  the  observation  of  the  Captain,  was  protruded 
across  his  path.  The  skipper  disdaining  to  walk  out  of  the 
way  of  this  impediment,  drew  his  sword  and  struck  it  down, 
saying  fiercely  as  he  did  it  — 

"  Find  other  service  for  your  pike,  than  to  stop  my  wander- 
ing." 

"  By  my  troth,  saucy  master,"  replied  Dauntrees,  "  but  I 
will  speedily  find  service  for  my  pike  that  shall  teach  thee 
more  civil  behavior.  But  pass  on,  sir,  you  have  a  license 
in  the  port  to  go  free  of  all  notice  except  such  as  shall  give  thee 
accommodation  in  the  stocks." 

Lord  Baltimore,  with  the  graver  gentlemen  of  his  suite,  rode 
around  the  scene  of  disorder,  manifesting  the  utmost  concern, 
and  exhorting  all  whom  he  might  address  with  any  hope  of 
persuasion,  to  retire  quietly  from  the  field.  The  old  Collector, 
however,  was  not  the  most  docile  of  his  adherents  ;  for  the 
veteran's   blood   had   risen   to  fever   heat,    and   he   repeatedly 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  313 

charged  the  rioters,  cane  in  hand,  with  strenuous  reproof  of 
their  misconduct,  expressed  in  no  very  dainty  terms.  By 
degrees  the  authors  of  these  tumults  began  to  withdraw  from 
the  scene  of  action  and  to  form  themselves  into  detached  bodies 
far  apart,  where  their  rage  was  allowed  to  spend  itself  in 
unchallenged  vituperation  and  rebuke  of  their  antagonists,  and 
finally  to  subside,  at  least,  into  a  manageable  degree  of 
resentment. 
14 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


Nor  less  upon  the  saddened  town 
The  evening  sunk  in  sorrow  down. 
The  burghers  spoke  of  civil  jar, 
Of  rumored  feuds  and  mountain  war. 

Scott. 


In  this  state  of  excitement  and  exasperation,  the  early  twilight 
found  the  greater  number  of  the  spectators  of  the  recent  show, 
and  crowds  still  lingered  in  detached  and  angry  parties  about  the 
common,  even  until  the  new  moon  began  to  shed  a  pale  light 
over  the  field.  The  council,  whose  suspicions  of  the  disaffected 
had,  for  some  time  past,  put  them  on  the  strictest  observation  of 
Coode  and  his  friends,  had  now  seen  enough  in  the  conduct  of 
that  party  to  convince  them  that  the  spirit  of  rebellion  was  suffi- 
ciently bold  to  manifest  itself,  on  the  first  occasion,  in  some 
decided  and  dangerous  attempt  upon  the  peace  of  the  province. 
They  therefore  determined  to  lose  no  time  in  the  adoption  of  such 
proceedings  as  should  enable  them  to  act  most  effectually  against 
the  ringleaders.  With  this  view,  Colojiel  Darnall  was  directed 
by  the  Proprietary  to  take  measures  to  obtain  accurate  informa- 
tion of  the  movements  of  Coode  and  his  party.  He  accordingly 
repaired  to  the  fort  to  Danntrees,  who,  after  duly  weighing  the 
delicate  nature  of  the  commission,  determined  to  take  the  matter 
in  his  own  hand,  and  promised  to  report  to  the  council  before 
midnight.  This  being  approved  by  Darnall,  the  Captain,  after 
he  had  taken  his  supper,   threw  aside  his  military  dress  and 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  315 

equipped'  himself  in  that  of  a  burgher  or  private  citizen  of  the 
port ;  and  wrapping  himself  in  a  cloak,  set  forward  about  ninej 
o'clock  on  his  adventures.  His  first  attention  was  given  to  John 
Coode,  and  he  consequently  bent  his  steps  towards  the  dwelling 
of  the  burgess.  The  house  stood  retired  from  a  street  or  shaded 
lane,  in  a  position  somewhat  remote  from  immediate  neighbors, 
whilst  a  thick  bower  of  foliage  threw  the  mass  of  building  at 
this  hour  of  midnight  into  deep  obscurity.  The  Captain  ap- 
proached as  near  to  the  premises  as  he  might  do  with  safety, 
and,  under  the  shelter  of  shrubberry,  found  himself  in  a  post 
where  he  might  observe,  without  much  risk  of  detection,  at  least 
such  persons  as  approached  or  left  the  house.  He  had  no  diffi- 
culty very  soon  to  convince  himself  that  the  dwelling  was  crowded 
with  visitors.  This  was  manifest  not  only  from  the  figures  that 
were  seen  passing  and  repassing  the  few  dim  lights  that  flickered 
from  the  casements,  but  from  the  constant  ingress  and  egress  of 
persons  by  the  outer  gate,  the  path  to  which  lay  immediately 
past  the  Captain's  place  of  concealment.  Many  of  the  passers  he 
could  observe  to  be  persons  from  the  inland  settlements.  After  a 
brief  lapse  of  time  came  Parson  Yeo,  moving  from  the  house  to 
the  gate,  and,  at  intervals,  following  him,  •  Kenelm  Chiseldine, 
Godfrey,  and  several  individuals  known  to  be  prominent  in  pro- 
moting the  late  quarrel  between  the  Burgesses  and  the  Proprie- 
tary. The  few  words  that  dropped  from  the  visitors  of  the 
dwelling-house,  as  they  moved  within  the  range  of  the  Captain's 
hearing,  related  to  the  Feudalls,  and  he  more  than  once  heard 
Lieutenant  Godfrey's  name  connected  with  them,  in  a  manner 
that  it  greatly  puzzled  him  to  comprehend  ;  for,  as  yet,  Godfrey 
had  altogether  escaped  the  suspicion  of  the  Proprietary's  friends. 
When  these  had  gone  by,  the  redoubtable  Corporal  Abbot  was 
the  next  that  traversed  the  pathway  He  was  alone,  and  coming 
from  within  the  house,  walked  with  a  brisk  pace  through  the 


316  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

c  gate,  after  which  he  turned  into  the  street  in  a  direction  opposite 
to  that  which  the  greater  number  of  those  who  preceded  him  had 
taken.  The  Captain  now  boldly  left  his  hiding-place,  and,  with  a 
free  step,  followed  the  lonely  professor  of  war  and  the  "  gentle 
craft,"  and  upon  overtaking  him,  was  enabled  to  discern  that  the 
troubles  of  the  day  had  led  to  some  excess  in  the  little  martialist's 
potations,  by  which  his  walk  was  rendered  slightly  unsteady. 
The  Captain,  confiding  in  his  disguise,  and  the  probable  bewilder- 
ment of  the  tailor's  brain,  accosted  him  boldly  as  a  fellow-con- 
spirator. 

"Zounds,  neighbor!  you  are  in  haste  to  get  under  cover 
to-night.  I  have  striven  like  a  goaded  horse  to  come  up  to  you, 
all  the  way  from  the  door  of  Master  Coode's.  Wherefore  so 
fast  ?" 

"  It  isn't  wise  to  be  seen  so  near  Master  Coode's.  The 
Proprietary  hath  already  an  evil  eye  upon  him,  and  notes  his 
associates." 

"Truly,  then,  it  is  discreet  to  make  speed  away  from  the 
dwelling — though  it  be,  after  all,  but  a  sneaking  thing  to  fear 
the  Proprietary.  We  are  enough  to  master  his  bullies,  to  my 
thinking." 

"Enough  !  troth  are  we.  There  is  Lieutenant  Godfrey,  as 
you  might  have  heard  him  say,  has  sixty  men — a  score  of  them 
to  come  across  the  Potomac — ready  to  ride  into  the  town  any 
night  he  may  wink  his  eye  ;  besides  the  friends  we  have  in 
swarms   as   thick   as   pigeon-flights  'twixt   this   and   Christina. 

Enough,  truly  ! — enough  and  to  spare,  Master Your  pardon, 

I  have  forgot  your  name  ?" 

"  Whitebread,"  replied  Dauntrees 

"  Oh,  surely  !  How  addled  is  my  pate  !  Master  White- 
bread,  we  shall  do  it,"  said  the  Corporal,  with  -an  utterance  that 
might  just  be  discerned  to  trip  a  little  on  the  tongue,  for  bis 


ROB    OF    THE    BOWL.  317 

excesses  Lad  not  so  much  disturbed  as  quickened  his  speech,  and 
left  him  more  communicative  than  in  his  present  circumstances 
was  altogether  safe.  "We  shall  do  it,  Master  Whitebread,  on  the 
night  of  the  fifth  of  November,  as  the  reverend  Master  Yeo  haa 
appointed." 

"  Guy  Fawkes's  night,"  said  Dauutrees.  "  But  the  Fendalls — " 

"  The  Lord  love  you,  Master  Wheatbread  l.thou  coulclst  not 
have  rightly  apprehended  Captain  Coode.  Lieutenant  Godfrey 
is  to  bring  his  troopers— I  am  one  of  them,  and  counted  on  :  I 
wear  his  Lordship's  colors  and  take  his  pay,  though  I  be  not  of 
his  cause,  mark  you — -Lieutenant  Godfrey  is  to  fetch  his  minute- 
men  on  Wednesday  come  next  sennight,  and  make  an  onslaught 
upon  the  prison.     We  begin  with  that." 

"  Ay,  so  I  take  it,  valiant  Master  Corporal.  Captain  Coode 
so  laid  it  down." 

"  Faith  did  be  ;  and  he  looks  to  see  it  done  to  the  last  scruple, 
which,  I  promise  you,  it  shall  be,  if  there  be  virtue  in  steel." 

"  But"  he  did  not  explain  how  these  friends  from  Virginia 
should  reach  Qur  shore." 

"Thou  wert  asleep,  Master  Sweetbread:  thou  wert  dull. 
Did  you  not  know  that  Cocklescraft  has  quarrelled  with  the  Pro- 
prietary, and  brings  us  his  brigantine  ?  Truly,  does  he  !  When 
knaves  fall" out,  honest  men  come  by  their  own,  ha,  ha  !  By  cock 
and  pye, — but  that's  a  true  word  !" 

"  Now,  good  night,  brave  Corporal,"  said  Dauntrees,  as  soon 
as  he  came  to  a  convenient  point  to  free  himself  of  the  company 
of  the  flustered  and  leaky  hatcher  of  treasons.  "  Good  night, 
and  mayst  thou  be  soon  rewarded  for  thy  deserts." 

"  Good  night,  Master  Sweetbread — and  thank  you  heartily 

for  your  kind   wishes — I   warrant  you  I  get  my  deserts.     But 

remember,"  the  tailor  added,   laying   his   hand  upon  his  lips  ; 

'  mute  as  a  mattock — not  a  breath  !"    Having  given  this  parting 


318  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

admonition,  he  pursued  his  way  with  a  confident  carriage  ;  and 

i. 

very  soon  after  they  parted,  Dauntrees  heard  his  voice  lifted  up 
into  a  song 

"Well,"  said  the  Captain,  when  he  was  left  alone  ;  "for  the 
sneaking  trade  of  an  eaves-dropper,  I  have  a  most  apt  and  com- 
mendable talent.  In  this,  my  first  traffic  in  so  noble  and  praise- 
worthy an  employment,  have  I  succeeded  to  a  marvel.  Scarce  ar. 
hour  since  my  fertile  genius  struck  out  this  point  of  war,  and  here 
have  I  unravelled  a  whole  web  of  treason,  that  shall  go  nigh  tc 
hanging  up  these  curs  by  the  score.  All's  fair  in  war,  they  say  : 
— but,  by  my  faith,  I  had  rather  have  won  my  knowledge  by  some 
little  show  of  buckler-work,  even  if  it  were  but  a  show.  It  would 
have  been  more  soldierly.  Yet,  as  bluff  Harry's  leather  gun  in 
the  Tower  has  it, — '  Non  marte  opus  est  cui  non  deficit  Mercurius.' 
We  win  by  art  when  steel  may  not  be  struck." 

The  Captain  now  took  a  rood  that  led  back  towards  the  com- 
mon, where  he  carefully  reconnoitered  the  whole  ground.  Some 
few  persons  yet  loitered  in  the  vicinity  of  the  booths,  and  two  or 
three  small  bands  of  men,  muffled  in  cloaks,  were  seen  in  close 
conference  amongst  the  cedars  that  formed  a  thicket  near  the 
Town  House.  From  this  point,  looking  across  the  narrow  bot- 
tom of  low  and  marshy  ground  which  lay  between  the  town  and 
the  homestead  of  Chiseldine,  which  was  in  full  view  wherever  an 
opening  between  the  trees  gave  a  range  to  the  eye,  he  could  dis- 
cover that  the  dwelling-house  was  more  than  usually  lighted,  and 
that  visitors  were,  at  this  late  hour,  thronging  the  apartments. 

Whilst  he  was  busy  with  these  observations,  Lieutenant 
Godfrey  and  Cocklescraft  emerged  from  the  cedars,  in  earnest 
discourse,  and  slowly  followed  the  path  which  led  down  the  bank 
to  Master  Weasel's  inn.  Without  giving  himself  the  trouble  to 
listen,  he  could  not  help  hearing  the  short  colloquy  which  passed 
between  them  before  they  entered  the  hostel. 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  319 

"  What  would  you  have  with  a  horse  at  this  hour  of  the 
night  ?"  inquired  the  Lieutenant. 

"It  is  but  a  freak,"  replied  the  skipper.  "  By  St.  Iago, 
Lieutenant,  I  will  deal  roundly  with  him.  In  honor,  I  will  ad- 
monish him  beforehand.  He  shall  have  warning,  on  my  con- 
reience — warning  that  it  shall  make  him  pale  to  read," 

"  I  will  not  baulk  your  devilment,  Dick  Cocklescraft  :  So, 
you  shall  have  the  steed.     When  will  you  return  ?" 

"  By  as  early  a  moment  after  midnight  as  I  may  ride  the 
space  with  all  the  speed  your  beast  may  afford." 

"  Ha,  ha  !  a  sailor  o'  horseback  and  the  devil  rides  at  his 
crupper  !  Ho,  Pilch,  there — ostler  Filch  !  Hither,  mail  :  see 
that  an  hour  hence,  when  Master  Cocklescraft  has  finished  his 
supper,  you  saddle  my  nag  and  fetch  him — where,  Master  Skip- 
per V 

"  To  the  Town  House  steps,"  said  his  companion. 

"  To  the  Town  House  steps — do  you  hear  ?" 

Dauntrees  having  now  gathered  all  the  information  which  his 
good  fortune  through  his  night's  adventure  had  thrown  in  his 
way,  betook  himself  to  the  Proprietary  mansion.  Here  he  found 
Lord  Baltimore,  Talbot,  Darnall,  and  others,  awaiting  his  arri- 
val. He  narrated  circumstantially  the  strange  and  ample  details 
connected  with  the  plots  in  concoction  and  their  contrivers,  as 
he  had  learned  them  ;  and  laid  a  tissue  of  facts  before  the  coun- 
cil which  left  no  room  for  hesitation  as  to  the  judgment  to  be 
formed  of  the  shape  and  pressure  of  the  rebellion.  Having  thus 
executed  the  commission  confided  to  him,  he  retired  to  his  quar- 
ters. 

On  the  following  morning,  soon  after  the  town  was  emptied 
of  the  press  of  visitors  who  had  crowded  in  to  the  prize  play,  the 
greater  portion  of  whom  had  taken  their  departure  at  an  early 
hour,  it  is  sufficient  for  me  only  to  inform  my  reader  that  John 


320  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

Coode,  Lieutenant  Godfrey,  and  Corporal  Abbot,  with  a  half 
score  of  others  less  distinguished  In  this  history,  were  snugly  en 
sconced  in  jail,  sharing  the  apartment  of  the  persecuted  patriots 
Josias  and  Samuel  Fendall.  How  they  came  into  this  strong- 
hold, and  what  consternation  this  decisive  act  of  vigorous  admin- 
istration spread  through  the  town  ;  who  advised  the  measure  and 
who  executed  it ;  I  leave  to  the  conjecture  of  the  imaginative 
friend  who  has  accompanied  me  through  the  dry  narrative  of 
these  pages. 

For  the  present,  neither  Kenelm  Chiseldine  nor  the  reverend 
Parson  Yeo  were  molested,  though  it  may  be  conceived  that 
they  did  not  pass  free  of  that  close  observation  of  their  outgoings 
and  incomings  with  which,  in  all  countries,  suspected  persons  are 
wont  to  be  favored  by  the  guardians  of  the  authority  of  govern* 
ment. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


The  baffled  factions  in  their  houses  skulk. 

John  Woodvil, 


When  day  broke  upon  the  drowsy  burghers  of  St.  Mary's,  <.m 
the  morning  after  the  prize  play,  the  Olive  Branch  was  no  longer 
to  be  seen  in  the  river.  Such  a  sudden  departure  of  so  important 
a  portion  of  the  commercial  marine  of  the  port,  produced  no 
small  degree  of  speculation  amongst  the  waking  citizens  as,  by 
degrees,  after  sunrise,  they  began  to  rub  their  eyes  and  look 
abroad.  This  speculation  became  still  more  intense  when,  in  a 
few  hours,  they  saw  files  of  soldiers  passing  through  the  town, 
and  heard,  immediately  afterwards,  the  rumor  of  the  arrest  of 
Coocle  and  his  compatriots.  Still  more  was  it  excited  by  a 
report  which  was  early  brought  to  town  from  the  Rose  Croft, 
that  the  broad  arrow — the  mysterious  presignification  of  mis- 
chief, a  mark  by  which  a  suspected  person  was  proscribed,  or  a 
devoted  one  forewarned — had  been  found  deeply  scratched,  as 
with  the  point  of  a  dagger,  on  the  Collector's  door.  An  un- 
usual stir  and  buzz  of  murmured  wonder  prevailed  through  the 
little  city,  and  every  body  was  on  foot  to  learn  the  cause  of  these 
phenomena.  By  some  it  was  said  that  the  skipper  had  gone  on 
a  trading  excursion  up  the  bay  to  Kent  Island,  as  it  was  his 
custom  to  do.  Those  in  the  secret  of  the  last  night's  conspiracy 
had  no  difficulty  in  ascribing  his  departure  to  movements  con- 
14* 


A 


322  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

nected  with  the  plot  ;  the  broad  arrow  on  the  Collector's  door 
was  easily  accounted  for  by  such  as  were  aware  of  Cocklescraft's 
midnight  ride  on  Godfrey's  horse  ;  and,  on  all  sides,  expectation 
was  raised  into  silent  dread  of  some  eruption  that  was  to  break 
forth,  in  a  moment  when  none  might  be  aware  of  it,  and  from  a 
quarter  to  which  few  might  look. 
t/  The  council  was  convened  at  the  Proprietary  mansion,  and 
there  the  emergency  was  gravely  debated  and  the  most  energetic 
measures  of  precaution  and  defence  adopted.  The  escape  of 
Cocklescraft,  connected  with  his  recent  quarrel  with  the  Secre- 
tary, and  the  disclosure  made  by  Abbot  of  his  concurrence  in 
the  plot  of  the  conspirators,  left  no  doubt  of  his  treachery.  The 
outbreak  was  rendered  more  formidable  by  its  coincidence  in 
oint  of  time  with  the  contemplated  incursion  of  the  Northern 
Indians,  as  related  by  the  travelling  doctor — a  circumstance  that 
seemed  to  infer  correspondence  between  the  leaders  of  the  con- 
spiracy and  the  savages,  and  to  give  the  plot  a  consistency  well 
calculated  to  excite  alarm.  To  these  topics  of  apprehension,  on 
the  part  of  the  council,  was  added  a  certain  undefined  and  anxious 
misgiving  that  the  goblin  stories  of  the  Wizard's  Chapel,  as  re- 
ported by  Dauntrees  and  Arnold  de  la  Grange,  and  now  repeated 
by  the  Proprietary  with  all  the  testimony  he  had  obtained  to 
support  them,  might  have  some  connection  with  this  long-hatched 
rebellion,  and  that  there  were  secret  ramifications  of  the  plot 
that  had  never  yet  been  suspected.  The  participation  of  God- 
frey and  Cocklescraft  in  the  designs  of  Coode,  of  which  none  of 
the  Proprietary's  friends  had  entertained  a  surmise  until  the 
previous  night,  was  a  fact  adapted  to  confirm  their  fears  of  the 
wide  diffusion  of  disaffection  where  it  had  not  been  looked  for. 
The  result  of  this  deliberation  was  a  resolve  to  pursue  matters  to 
a  speedy  conclusion  by  a  decisive  and  bold  action.  The  ring- 
leaders were  to  be  brought  instantly  to  trial  ;  the  military  force 


ROE     OF     THE     BOWL.  323 

was  to  be  increased  ;  their  ranks  purged  of  all  who  were  sus- 
pected to  want  heartiness  in  the  cause  ;  and  every  precaution 
was  to  be  taken  to  provide  against  assault  from  all  quarters,  by 
night  or  clay.  Captain  Dauntrees  was  commanded  to  look  to 
the  safety  of  the  town,  and  to  endeavor  to  ascertain  what  had 
become  of  Cocklescraft. 

In  this  state  of  preparation  and  suspense,  twenty-four  hours 
past  over  without  tidings  of  the  skipper,  or  any  new  developments 
of  the  designs  of  the  conspirators.  The  vigorous  measures  taken 
by  the  Proprietary  seemed  to  have  struck  terror  into  his  adver- 
saries, and  at  least  driven  them  into  the  shelter  of  silence  and 
concealment.  At  the  end  of  this  period  Willy  of  the  Flats, — 
who  was  one  of  those  expert  politicians  who  make  it  a  point  to 
manifest  their  patriotism  by  the  most  eager  zeal  in  favor  of  the 
side  that  is  uppermost, — having  until  the  overthrow  of  Coode  been 
strongly  inclined  to  take  part  with  the  agitators,  now  made  his 
way,  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  into  the  fort,  and  thence  to  the 
presence  of  Captain  Dauntrees.  Approaching  the  Captain,  with 
an  air  of  constrained  self-importance,  he  said  in  a  half  whisper — 

"  News,  Master  Captain — grave  news,  worshipful  sir, — state 
matters  !  I  have  come  post-haste  to  tell  you,  that  twenty 
minutes  ago — no,  that  I  may  not  lie,  I  will  say  twenty-five 
minutes  ago — just  so  long  as  with  good  speed — a  dog  trot  we 
will  say — it  might  suffice  for  me  to  come  hither  from  Master 
Weasel's  tap-room — who  think  you  I  saw,  and  what  did  he  do  ?" 

"  Speak,  Willy,  without  this  windy  prologue." 

"  There  comes  in  Master  Cocklescraft,  and  straight  orders  a 
noggin  of  brandy, — whereof  guzzling  it  down  with  a  most  trea- 
sonable haste,  he  wiped  his  lips,  and  asked  for  Lieutenant  God- 
frey ;  and  when  he  heard  that  the  Lieutenant  was  in  prison,  he 
bit  his  lip  and  gave  a  kind  of  ha  !  or  I  might  say  grunt,  and 
walked  very  suspiciously  away." 


324  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"  And  you  had  the  wit  to  follow  him  ?" 

"  Follow  him,  Captain,  I  did,  as  far  as  the  cedars  of  the  Town 
House,  where — the  moon  being  down — I  lost  him.  He  might 
have  been  on  his  way  to  the  jail,  but  I  stayed  not  to  seek  that 
out,  for  turning  round, — now,  said  I,  Willy,  make  for  the  fort  as 
fast  as  you  can,  and  tell  the  Captain  the  whole  matter." 

"  Thanks,  at  least,  for  that  diligence  of  yours.  You  shall 
have  your  supper  and  a  stoop  of  liquor  for  this." 

"  Blessings  on  your  worship,  for  thinking  of  the  need  of  an 
empty  man  !"  said  Willy,  as  with  his  hat  tucked  under  his  arm 
he  went  towards  the  Captain's  kitchen  to  acquaint  Matchcote 
with  his  master's  hint  touching  the  refreshment. 

Dauntrees  lost  no  time  in  despatching  an  inferior  officer,  with 
two  or  three  files,  in  quest  of  the  skipper.  These  returned  after 
midnight  with  a  tale  confirming  Willy's  narrative  ;  but  with  the 
further  intelligence  that  no  traces  could  be  obtained  of  Cockles- 
craft  beyond  his  appearance  at  the  Crow  and  Archer. 

The  next  day  the  Superior  of  the  Jesuit  House  of  St.  Ini- 
goe's  visited  the  Proprietary  to  inform  him  that,  at  the  dawn, 
the  servants  of  his  establishment  had  found  their  skiff  hauled  up 
on  the  beach,  some  fifty  or  a  hundred  yards  remote  from  the 
wharf  where,  on  the  preceding  night,  it  had  been  carefully  locked 
by  a  chain,  which,  it  appeared,  had  been  broken,  showing  that 
the  boat  had  been  used  by  some  person  of  whom  no  knowledge 
could  yet  be  obtained.  He  further  stated  that  Fluke,  the  fishei 
man,  who  lived  some  distance  below  St.  Inigoe's,  on  the  river 
bank,  had  that  morning  reported,  that  before  daylight  his  dogs 
had  waked  him  with  loud  barking,  and  that  he  had  heard  the 
footsteps  of  a  man  upon  the  beach  :  that  the  fisherman  had  chal- 
lenged the  stranger  from  his  window,  but  had  got  no  reply,  aud 
was  fain  to  let  him  pass  on  without  molestation,  owing  to  the 
darkness  of  the  hour. 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  325 

This  intelligence,  combined  with  that  brought  to  the  fort  by 
che  fiddler,  strongly  pointed  to  the  visit  and  retreat  of  the  skip- 
per, and  seemed  to  indicate  that  he  was  lurking  somewhere  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  had,  in  the  night,  crossed  St.  Inigoe's 
creek  immediately  from  the  wharf  of  the  Jesuit  House  to  that  of 
the  Rose  Croft,  by  which  road  he  had  visited  the  town  and  re- 
turned again  before  daylight. 

Dauntrees,  upon  receiving  this  information,  lost  no  time  in 
visiting  the  House  of  St.  Inigoe's,  to  inquire  into  the  particulars; 
after  which  he  went  to  see  the  fisherman.  The  result  of  this 
journey  was  to  confirm  him  in  the  impression  of  the  secret  corres- 
pondence of  the  skipper  with  the  town,  and  to  engage  Fluke  in 
the  service  of  watching  the  future  motions  of  the  same  visitant. 

Simon  Fluke  lived  some  two  or  three  miles  below  St.  Inigoe's, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  a  small  cabin  gave  shelter 
to  his  wife  and  a  troop  of  children — an  amphibious  brood  of 
urchins  who  seemed  to  be  at  home  either  on  land  or  water,  and 
whose  rude  habits  of  life  had  inured  them  to  the  scant  accommo- 
dation and  precarious  protection  of  the  hut  into  which  they  were 
all  huddled.  This  man  earned  a  hard  livelihood  by  supplying  his 
neighbors  of  St.  Inigoe's  and  the  townspeople  with  fish  ;  and  it 
was  greatly  to  his  content  that  he  now  found  himself  engaged  in 
the  service  of  the  Proprietary,  with  the  promise  of  a  handsome 
reward  if  his  good  fortune  should  enable  him  to  aid  effectually 
in  securing  the  person  of  the  skipper.- 

It  was  a  few  days  after  his  employment  in  this  service,  that 
the  sun  was  seen  to  set  amongst  thickly  scudding  clouds  and 
blasts  of  wind,  such  as,  with  the  near  approach  of  November, 
are  apt  suddenly  to  break  in  upon  the  serene  autumn,  giving  rude 
foretastes  of  winter.  The  horizon  was  dark,  and  the  overmastered 
sun  hopelessly  struggled  to  fling  a  parting  beam  upon  the  ruffled 
waters. 


326  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

,  The  fisherman  had  hauled  his  boat  upon  the  sand,  bestowed 
his  nets  and  other  tackle  in  safety  for  the  night,  and  taken  his 
seat  at  his  fireside,  with  a  lighted  pipe,  where  he  challenged  the 
besmirched,  white-haired  boy  that  toddled  across  the  room — the 
youngest  of  his  troop — to  a  game  of  vomps,  or  more  demurely 
chatted  of  household  cares  with  his  meagre  and  sad-visaged 
dame.  The  door  of  his  hut  standing  wide  open  and  looking 
southwardly,  showed  him  the  Potomac,  even  across  to  that  re- 
mote cape  called  by  the  early  settlers  after  St.  Gregory,  but 
now  known  as  Smith's  Point. 

"  Look  out,  wife,"  said  the  fisherman,  as  he  cast  his  eye  over 
this  extensive  sheet  of  water,  yet  illumined  with  the  light  of 
parting  day,  "  and  you  shall  see  a  strange  craft  beating  up  from 
the  Virginia  shore  ;  she  is  almost  too  light  a  skiff  for  such  a  sea 
as  that  now  running  in.  Have  you  seen  it  go  down  the  river  ? 
Where  can  it  belong  ?" 

"  It  is  a  new  sight  to  me,"  replied  the  wife  ;  "I  saw  nothing 
like  it  go  down  from  St.  Mary's  to-day." 

"  He  does  not  shape  his  course,  either,  up  the  river,  so  much 
as  he  makes  for  this  shore,"  added  the  fisherman.  "  He  comes 
from  some  harbor  on  the  other  side,  short  of  St.  Gregory.  His 
business  must  drive  him  hard,  to  bring  him  out  at  this  hour,  iu 
the  teeth  of  such  a  wind.  I  will  keep  an  eye  on  that  fellow, 
wife  ;  there  is  enough  in  his  venturing  to  raise  a  suspicion." 

The  homely  supper  of  the  family,  soon  after  this,  called  oft" 
the  fisherman  from  his  watch,  which  indeed  the  thickening  shades 
of  night  soon  rendered  useless,  and  the  only  vigilance  which  the 
master  of  the  hut  could  now  exercise  was  shown  in  an  occasional 
walk  to  the  beach,  in  the  hope  that  the  nearer  approach  of  the 
boat  might  inform  him  with  more  certainty  whether  her  course 
lay  towards  the  town.  Nothing  however  was  gained  by  thtde 
visits  ;  no  boat  came  in   view,  and  the  gloom  forbade  further 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  321 

observation.  The  craft  was  some  seven  or  eight  miles,  at 
least,  from  shore  when  she  was  last  seen,  and  the  fisherman, 
giving  up  all  hope  of  learning  more  that  night,  threw  his  weary 
frame  upon  his  tattered  couch  and  sunk  shortly  into  a  profound 
sleep. 

During  the  night  a  growl  of  the  house-dog,  and  the  tread  of 
a  foot  upon  the  gravel,  woke  the  uneasy-slumbering  dame,  but 
the  sound  had  died  away  amidst  the  plash  of  waves  upon  the 
strand,  before  she  could  rouse  the  heavy  and  torpid  frame  of  her 
snoring  lord.  When  at  last  he  woke,  it  was  only  to  utter  a 
drowsy  and  bewildered  reproof  for  the  annoyance  he  had  suffered, 
and  to  fall  back  again  into  his  former  deep  unconsciousness.  At 
early  dawn,  however,  he  was  abroad,  breathing  the  sharp,  cold 
breeze  of  the  clear  morning.  Below  his  hut,  seaward,  he  could 
descry. upon  the  beach,  some  miles  short  of  Point  Look  Out,  the 
small  craft  which,  on  the  previous  evening,  he  had  noted  standing 
across  the  river.  It  was  a  suspicious  sight  to  see  a  boat  at 
such  a  time  in  such  a  place  ;  and  connecting  it  with  the  circum- 
stances his  wife  had  remarked  in  the  night,  Fluke  found  reason 
enough  to  put  himself  on  the  watch  for  the  person  who  controlled 
its  motions.  He  accordingly  went  into  his  hut,  and  sticking 
under  his  girdle  a  horseman's  pistol  which  he  kept  for  domestic 
defence,  and  to  king  a  stout  white-oak  staff  in  his  hand,  he 
trudged  forth  along  the  margin  of  the  river,  resolved  to  plant 
himself  in  some  advantageous  position,  whence  he  might  inter- 
cept any  one  who  should  approach  the  boat  by  land.  He  had 
not  left  his  door  above  half  an  hour,  before  his  wife  observed  a 
traveller,  in  a  seaman's  dress  partially  concealed  by  a  gray  cloak, 
striding  on  foot  along  the  field  contiguous  to  the  beach,  in  the 
same  direction  that  her  husband  had  just  taken.  The  mastiff 
of  the  household  was  the  first  to  challenge  the  stranger,  by 
springing  almost  to  his  heel, — a  trespass  that  was  instantly  re- 


328  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

sented  by  a  sturdy  blow  from  a  walking  stick,  that  sent  the  clog 
yelping  back  to  the  hut. 

"  St.  Iago  !  I  will  kill  the  dog  !"  exclaimed  the  wayfarer. 
"  Woman,"  he  added,  as  soon  as  he  became  aware  that  the  dame 
had  her  eye  upon  him,  "  why  do  you  not  chain  up  the  beast  ? 
By  my  hand  !  I  will  make  short  work  with  him  if  he  interrupt 
me  again."'  And  without  waiting  to  hear  the  dame's  half-chiding, 
half-encouraging  address  to  the  dog — "  Get  thee  in,  for  a  saucy, 
old,  honest  snarler  !"  or  her  defence  of  him  :  "  He  will  not  hurt 
you,  sir  ;  his  growl  is  worse  than  his  bite," — he  strode  so  rapidly 
onward  as  soon  to  be  out  of  view. 

In  less  than  an  hour  after  sunrise,  the  little  chaloupe  was  seen 
laying  her  course  gallantly  before  the  wind,  with  her  tiny  sail  filled 
almost  to  bursting,  as  she  bore  for  the  opposite  side  of  the  Poto- 
mac. The  dame  busied  herself  in  preparing  her  morning  meal,  to 
be  in  readiness  for  her  husband's  return,  and  in  checking  the 
impatient  petitions  of  her  urchin  brood,  who  hung  around  to  beg 
for  a  morsel  of  fish  from  the  pan,  or  a  slice  of  corn  bread,  to  stay 
their  fresh  appetites,  until  the  coming  of  the  father  should  be  a 
signal  for  a  more  orderly  assault.  Ever  and  anon,  she  went  to 
the  door  to  cast  an  eye  along  the  river  bank,  and  to  watch  the 
little  craft,  the  subject  of  so  much  curiosity,  as  it  measured  its 
rapid  transit  towards  the  Virginia  shore. 

"  Simon  Fluke,  I  believe  in  the  heart  of  me,"  she  said,  after 
having  gone  a  dozen  times  to  the  door,  "  thinks  no  more  of  his 
breakfast  than  if  it  were  wet  sea-weed  just  out  of  the  river  :  the 
fish,  with  one  turn  more,  will  not  be  fit  for  a  Christian  to  eat ; — 
and  here  are  these  children  ready  to  munch  their  own  fingers  for 
food.  I  wish  to  the  saints,  the  man  could  learn  some  thougtt  of 
his  meals  when  they  are  ready  for  him  !  But  I  might  as  well 
talk  to  a  flounder  as  to  Simon  Fluke." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


It  creeps,  the  swarthy  funeral  train, 
The  corso  is  on  the  bier. 

Leonoka. 


The  distant  bell  of  St.  Inigoe's  was  heard  summoning  the  pi'iests 
of  the  house  to  the  chapel  service  of  the  Vigil  of  All  Souls, — the 
season  had  now  advanced  as  far  as  high  noon  on  the  last  clay  of 
October, — when  the  quay  in  front  of  the  Crow  aucl  Archer  was 
enlivened  by  the  gossipping  faces  of  a  group  of  quidnuncs  who 
had  assembled  there  in  the  warm  sunshine,  to  discuss  a  most 
melancholy  piece  of  intelligence  which  had  just  come  to  town, 
and  which  was  debated  with  that  characteristic  respect  for  truth 
and  decent  spirit  of  condolence  with  which  horrible  accidents  and 
distressing  casualties  are  generally  propagated. 

"  There's  proclamation  of  hue  and  cry  out,"  said  Willy  of  the 
Flats,  speaking  as  one  who  had  obtained  possession  of  a  state 
secret — "  I  heard  it  myself,  but  now,  at  the  mansion,  from  Mas- 
ter L^ewellen,  who  was  sent  for,  on  purpose,  by  his  Lordship,  to 
make  proclamation  by  hue  and  cry  as  fast  a?  it  can  be  writ  down." 

"  Good  reason  !"  replied  Mug  the  Sexton  ;  "  I'll  warrant  you 
Tiquassiuo's  men  have  slipped  across  the  bay,  with  Jackanapes 
or  R'bin  Hood  at  their  lead,  to  whet  their  knives  on  Christian 
flesh  ,  and  if  they  are  to  be  caught,  we  must  do  it  quick,  I  can 
tell  you,  neighbors.     Will  the  body  be  brought  to  town  ?" 

"  That  shall  be  as  the  Coroner  shall  order,"  said  Garret 


330  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

Weasel,  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  felt  himself  entitled  to  in- 
struct the  company  in  matters  of  law.  "  No  one  durst  touch 
the  body  till  the  coroner  has  dealt  with  it.  Giles  Ferret  must 
have  a  fancy  to  summon  me  on  his  jury  !  but  I  foiled  him  on 
privilege,  d'ye  see,  masters, — for  the  Sheriff  hath  set  me-down  on 
the  panel  for  the  provincial  court  next  week  ; — so  no  two  juries 
for  me,  Master  Coroner,  says  I.  Lord,  Lord  !  I  could  no  more 
face  Simon  Fluke's  family, — to  say  nothing  of  the  dead  man  him- 
self,— in  their  distress,  than  I  could  look  upon  my  own  dame  in 
her  winding-sheet." 

"  Troth  !  you  shall  never  look  at  me  in  that  dress,"  exclaimed 
the  laughing  landlady,  who  stood  on  the  skirt  of  the  crowd, 
hitherto  unseen  by  her  husband.  "  I  have  pranked  out  two 
as  pretty  men  in  woollen  as  yourself,  Garret  Weasel,  before  I 
had  the  good  luck  to  clap  eyes  on  yon  ;  and,  faith,  I  mean  to 
put  you  to  bed  with  the  shovel,  ere  I  go  myself.  What  are  the 
townsfolk  good  for,  that  they  are  not  up  and  abroad  to  find  out 
the  villains  who  murdered  the  fisherman  ?" 

"  They  talk  of  a  following  with  hot  hand,"  said  Derrick 
Brown,  in  reply  to  the  question  of  the  hostess,  "  as  soon  as 
the  Coroner  comes  back.  The  Indians  are  lurking  somewhere 
upon  the  border  of  the  settlements  ;  take  my  word  it  will  be 
proved  so." 

"  If  we  were  sure  of  that,"  said  Garret  Weasel,  "  I  should  be 
for  boot  and  spur,  harquebuss  and  hanger,  up  and  away,  lads  ; — 
but  we  must  move  with  caution  in  the  matter  till  we  get  lawful 
ground  for  an  out-riding.  Give  us  the  hue  and  cry  before  we 
start." 

"  Some  do  say,"  interposed  Master  Clink,  a  mender  of  kettles, 
who  had  left  his  work  so  hastily  that  he  had  not  thrown  aside 
his  leather  apron,  "  that  the  murder  was  done  by  Papists  in  the 
disguise  of  Indians." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  331 

"  I'll  warrant  you  as  many  lies  will  be  pinned  upon  the  back 
of  this  murder  as  it  will  hold,"  said  a  tall,  sallow,  spare-built  man, 
who  was  known  as  the  head  constable  of  the  riding  of  St. 
George's.  "It  is  the  fashion  now,  when  a  piece  of  mischief  has 
been  practised,  for  one  side  or  the  other  to  turn  it  into  a  church 
matter.  Every  body  knows  that  Simon  Fluke  was  as  good  a 
Roman  as  there  was  in  the  riding.  Why  do  you  prate  about 
the  Papists,  Tom  Clink  ?     Who  told  you  that  monstrous  lie  ?" 

"  By  the  faith  of  my  body  !  I  did  hear  it  whispered,"  replied 
the  tinker  ;  "  though,  as  I  am  an  honest  man,  I  did  not  be- 
lieve it." 

Whilst  this  little  knot  of  newsmongers  continued  upon  the 
quay,  discussing  the  rumors  of  the  day,  and  now  and  then 
enlivening  their  drooping  spirits  with  a  resort  to  the  red  lattice 
of  the  Crow  and  Archer,  behind  which  Matty  Scamper  and 
Dame  Dorothy  by  turns  administered  the  refreshment  of  a  cup 
of  ale  or  some  stronger  potation,  two  boats  were  discovered  ap- 
proaching the  harbor  from  a  point  below  St.  Inigoe's,  and  making 
as  much  speed  as  their  complement  of  oars  would  allow.  As  they 
neared  the  quay,  it  became  apparent  that  the  first  contained  a 
coffin  attended  by  the  fisherman's  family,  and  two  priests  ;  the 
second  wTas  freighted  with  the  jury  under  the  charge  of  Master 
Giles  Ferret,  the  Coroner. 

Whilst  the  boats  are  approaching,  we  recur  to  our  narrative 
where  we  left  it  at  the  conclusion  of  the  last  chapter  ;  deeming 
it  necessary'  to  say  that  the  anxious  wife,  after  venting  some 
unavailing  and  affectionate  expressions  of  impatience  at  her  hus- 
band's delay  in  returning  to  his  breakfast,  sat  down  to  her  meal, 
unconscious  of  the  cause  that  detained  her  mate  and  ascribing 
his  absence  to  that  carelessness  of  hours  which  grew  out  of  the 
nature  of  his  calling.  Noon  came,  and  the  frugal  board  was 
again  spread  for  dinner,  but  to  it  came  no  father  of  the  wonder- 


332  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

ing  household  ;■  —still  the  vacant  seat  was  not  so  unusual  a 
spectacle  as  to  excite  alarm.  But  when  the  sun  began  to  dip 
upon  the  verge  of  the  western  horizon,  and  no  trace  could  be 
discerned  of  the  homeward  step  of  the  fisherman,  fears  arose  in 
the  bosom  of  his  wife, — and  long  and  earnestly  she  paced  the 
beach  and  strained  her  sight  to  catch  his  expected  form.  ■  At 
length,  heading  her  little  household  troop,  she  sallied  forth,  with 
hurried  steps,  along  the  sands,  for  more  than  a  mile  ;  and  finding 
no  vestige  of  him,  returned  sorrowfully  to  her  humble  roof  and 
gave  up  the  night  to  that  sharpest  of  all  the  trials  by  which  grief 
may  assail  the  human  breast, —  the  half-hoping,  half-fearing,  silent, 
doubting  watchfulness  for  the  approach  of  evil  tidings,  which  the 
heart,  by  a  strange  presentiment,  sometimes  truly  foretells. 

At  daylight  her  eldest  boy  was  despatched  to  the  house  of 
St.  Inigoe's  for  aid,  and  very  soon  some  four  or  five  persons  were 
on  foot  to  scour  the  country  iu  quest  of  the  lost  man.  A  short 
search  disclosed  the  dreadful  truth  :  the  body  was  found  in  a 
thicket  of  cedar,  with  the  marks  of  a  bullet  through  the  brain  ; 
the  spot  within  a  hundred  paces  of  the  shore  of  a  small  inlet  (at 
this  day  known  as  Smith's  creek)  that  flowed  from  the  Potomac 
a  few  miles  westward  of  Point  Lookout.  There  .were  the  foot- 
prints of  men  upon  the  beach,  and  marks  of  the  keel  of  a  boat 
which  had  been  drawn  up  on  the  sand.  The  wretched  wife  could 
only  tell  of  her  husband's  departure  in  the  morning : — all  other 
recollections,  in  the  depth  of  her  sorrow,  were  swept  from  her 
mind  ;  and  the  persons  who  were  busy  in  seeking  out  the  facts 
of  the  murder  were  obliged  to  leave  the  spot  with  nothing  better 
than  vague  conjectures  as  to  the  agency  by  which  it  was  per- 
petrated. 

The  tidings  were  quickly  brought  to  the  town,  and  the 
Corouer  instautly  proceeded  with  a  jury  to  the  spot  to  perform 
the  duties  required  by  the  law.     His  office  was  soon  discharged, 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  333 

and,  as  we  have  seen,  he  was  now,  early  in  the  afternoon,  on  his 
return  with  the  body  of  the  deceased,  attended  by  the  wailing 
family  and  the  jury  who  had  pronounced  their  verdict  of  '  inten- 
tiona.  homicide  by  persons  unknown.' 

In  the  excited  state  of  parties,  at  this  crisis,  the  Proprietary 
did  not  choose  to  risk  a  popular  tumult.  Already,  as  was  usual 
at  that  day,  regardless  of  any  ascertained  fact  relating  to  the 
murder,  common  opinion  ascribed  it  to  the  Indians  :  whilst  the 
more  violent  of  the  factionists  noised  it  abroad  as  a  contrivance 
of  the  Catholic  party  to  overawe  their  adversaries, — directly 
charging  the  murder  upon  the  friends  of  the  Proprietary,  who,  it 
was  alleged,  had  accomplished  it  in  the  garb  of  Indians.  The 
animosity  with  which  this  improbable  and,  in  this  case,  absurd 
report  (for  the  deceased  was  known  by  many  to  be  of  the  same 
faith  with  his  imputed  murderers)  was  propagated,  induced,  in 
the  mind  of  Lord  Baltimore,  an  apprehension  of  some  distur- 
bance, and  he  had  accordingly  directed  Captain  Dauntrees  to 
keep  his  force  in  readiness  to  suppress  any  attempt  at  disorder 
which  might  arise.  The  boats,  therefore,  were  no  sooner  dis- 
covered approaching  the  quay,  than  the  garrison  of  the  fort  were 
drawn  out  by  their  Captain  and  marched  to  the  foot  of  the 
mulberry  at  the  Town  House,  where  they  awaited  the  funeral 
procession,  which  it  was  designed  they  should  accompany  to  the 
grave. 

Curiosity,  that  eager  impulse  to  feast  on  popular  horrors,  had 
brought  a  considerable  crowd  of  the  townspeople  to  the  landing 
place  ;  community  of  faith  with  the  deceased  had  brought  many, 
and  the  angry  and  disturbed  temper  of  the  times  still  more.  The 
whole  together  formed  a  mass  of  persons  actuated  by  various 
passions.  The  idle  stare  of  that  vacant  portion  of  the  spectators 
who  came  merely  to  gape  at  the  spectacle,  was  contrasted  with 
the  serene  thoughtfulness  of  those  who  made  it  their  duty,  from 


334  ROB     OF     'HE     BOWL. 

religious  affinity  with  the  deceased,  to  attend  the  remains  to  the 
tomb  ;  and  still  more  did  it  strike  the  beholder,  when  it  was 
compared  with  the  stern  hatred  and  ill-concealed  scorn  of  that 
class  of  lookers-on  who,  belonging  to  the  lately  baffled  party  of 
the  disaffected,  stood  by  with  scowling  brows,  whispering  con- 
temptuous sneers  against  their  opponents,  as  these  latter  busied 
themselves  in  ordering  the  hasty  procession  which  was  formed 
from  the  quay  up  the  bank  towards  the  Town  House. 

The  two  priests  who  attended  the  body,  clad  in  their  robes, 
took  the  lead  of  the  funeral  train.  The  body,  borne  by  four  stout 
men,  comrades  of  the  deceased,  followed  ;  and  immediately  behind 
it  tottered  along  with  uncertain  step,  the  fisherman's  wife,  in 
rude  and  neglected  attire,  sobbing  convulsively — her  apron  thrown 
over  her  head,  and  her  walk  guided  by  a  friendly  matron  whose 
frequent  but  abortive  efforts  at  consolation  seemed  only  to  pro- 
duce fresh  bursts  of  sorrow.  After  these  came  the  unconscious 
children,  dressed  in  their  homely  holiday  suits,  looking  around 
them  with  faces  of  constrained  seriousness,  which  scarcely  re- 
pressed the  broad  expression  of  the  gratified  interest  they  took 
in  the  novel  scene  around  them.  Many  of  the  townspeople  of 
both  sexes  formed  in  the  procession,  which  was  brought  up  in  the 
rear  by  the  company  of  musketeers,  who  wheeled  into  the  line  of 
march,  as  the  last  of  the  marshalled  followers  of  the  body  passed 
from  beneath  the  shade  of  the  mulberry.  The  bell  of  the  Chapel 
of  St.  Mary's  tolled  whilst  the  train  moved,  at  a  measured  pace, 
towards  the  church  door,  where,  being  met  by  Father  Pierre,  the 
corpse  was  deposited  in  the  aisle  ;  and  the  good  priest,  with  such 
despatch  as  might  comport  with  the  solemnity  of  his  duty,  per- 
formed the  appointed  service  of  the  dead,  in  the  presence  of  the 
large  body  of  spectators  who  had  pressed  into  the  building. 

Whilst  the  crowd  was  still  engaged  as  witnesses  of  this  scene, 
a  rumor  was  whispered  around  that  the  proclamation  of  hue  and 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  335 

cry  had  just  been  put  forth  by  the  council.  A  messenger  came 
for  Captain  Dauntrees,  who  was  observed,  immediately  after- 
ward, silently  to  steal  forth  from  the  church,  and  to  take  his  way 
with  hasty  strides  towards  the  Proprietary  mansion.  By  degrees, 
one  after  another,  the  spectators  followed,  and  were  soon  dis- 
covered in  groups  scattered  about  the  town  ;  until,  at  last,  the 
corpse  was  left  with  but  few  more  attendants  than  were  necessary 
to  perform  the  proper  duties  of  sepulture. 

Half  an  hour  had  scarcely  elapsed  before  mounted  men  were 
seen  gallopping  through  the  avenues  of  the  little  city.  The 
silence  which  attended  the  funeral  procession  was  exchanged  for 
busy  and  clamorous  conversation  ;  the  bell  had  ceased  to  toll, 
and  in  its  place  the  notes  of  a  trumpet  were  successively  heard  at 
several  points,  as  a  horseman  paced  from  place  to  place,  and  read 
the  proclamation  calling  on  the  burghers  to  follow  with  hue  and 
cry  the  perpetrators  of  the  vile  murder  of  honest  Simon  Fluke. 
In  process  of  time,  this  bustle  subsided  into  a  more  orderly  and 
quiet  gossip  ;  the  trumpeter  had  spent  his  last  breath  in  braying 
forth  the  official  summons  to  pursue  the  murderer,  and  had  gladly 
put  away  his  noisy  instrument ;  the  riders  had  ceased  to  throw  up 
the  dust  of  the  highways  ;  the  inquisitive  dames  of  the  town  and 
its  marvelling  maidens  had  no  more  news  to  seek  in  the  open  air, 
and  had  withdrawn  beneath  the  shelter  of  their  respective  roofs  : 
— the  churchyard  was  deserted  by  all  but  the  sexton  and  his 
comrade  of  the  spade,  who  now  were  smoothing  the  sides  of  the 
new-made  grave  ;  and  the  tap-room  of  the  Crow  and  Archer  was 
once  more  enlivened  by  the  pot-and-pipe  companions  who  were 
wont  to  render  its  evening  atmosphere  murky  and  political.  In 
short,  the  murder  of  Simon  Fluke,  had,  in  the  marvellous  brief 
period  of  a  few  hours,  ceased  to  be  the  engrossing  wonder  of  the 
day,  and  the  city  of  St.  Mary's  was  partially  restored  to  its  usual 
routine  of  ale-drinking  and  news-telling  ; — making  proper  allow- 


336  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

ance  for  the  fact,  that  about  a  dozen  men  had  ridden  forth  to 
scour  the  country  in  quest  of  the  murderers,  who,  on  their  part, 
had  only  been  allowed  a  day  and  a  half  to  make  their  escape,  and 
that  the  good  people  who  staid  at  home  were  holding  themselves 
in  readiness  to  be  as  much  excited  as  ever  with  any  tidings  that 
might  arrive  tending  towards  the  probable  ascertainment  of  the 
perpetrators  of  the  crime. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Whilst  the  burial  of  the  fisherman,  and  the  topics  to  which  it 
gave  rise,  engrossed  the  attention  of  young  and  old  in  the  town, 
Albert  Verheyden,  dressed  in  a  riding  suit  with  a  winter  surcoat 
or  horseman's  cassock  loosely  thrown  around  his  person,  made  his 
appearance  on  horseback  at  the  Rose  Croft.  He  had  engaged-  to 
ride  towards  the  Chesapeake  with  Colonel  Talbot  and  a  troop  of 
followers,  to  explore  the  country  as  far  down  as  Point  Lookout, 
where  rumor  had  already  affirmed  certain  Indians  of  suspicious 
bearing  to  have  recently  landed  from  the  opposite  shore  of  the 
Chesapeake.  Talbot  himself  had  projected  this  expedition  mainly 
with  a  view  to  sift  out  and  expose  the  calumny  which  imputed  the 
recent  murder  to  the  friends  of  the  Proprietary  ;  and  he  was  the 
more  whetted  in  his  purpose  by  a  secret  expectation  that  a 
vigorous  endeavor  would  enable  him  not  only  to  refute  the 
slander,  but  to  furnish  evidence  of  the  agency  of  the  opposite 
party  in  the  perpretration  of  the  crime.  It  is  one  of  the  base  arts 
of  unprincipled  politicians,  he  argued,  ever  to  be  among  the  first 
in  charging  upon  the  innocent  the  wicked  devices  by  which  they 
accomplish  their  own  designs.  He  had  resolved,  therefore,  to 
take  the  matter  in  hand  himself,  and,  at  the  head  of  a  party  of 
the  townspeople,  ransack  the  country  around  the  scene  of  the 
murder,  for  every  item  of  proof  which  might  bring  to  light  its 
authors.  There  was,  in  addition  to  this  motive,  an  undefined  and 
misty  connection  in  his  mind,  of  the  murder  with  the  stories  told 
15 


338  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

of  the  gublins  of  the  haunted  Chapel, — a  conviction  of  some 
wicked  influence — active,  he  did  not  exactly  know  how,  in  stimu- 
lating the  crime.  He  was  no  disbeliever  in  sorcery  and  witch- 
craft, and  a  vague  thought  hovered  over  his  meditation  that  the 
fisherman's  death  might  be  traced  to  persons  holding  relations 
with  the  spirits  of  the  Chapel.  He  set  forth,  therefore,  on  his 
adventure  with  a  presentiment  that  some  startling  disclosure 
would  soon  be  made,  which  should  still  more  awaken  the 
thoughts  of  the  government  to  the  mischievous  character  of  the 
beings  who  infested  the  region  bordering  on  the  bay. 

His  purpose  being  made  known  in  the  family  of  the  Proprie- 
tary, it  was  with  a  modest  yet  eager  petition  that  Albert  Yer- 
heyden  asked  leave  to  accompany  him  on  the  expedition, — a 
request  which  was  granted  with  even  more  alacrity  than  that 
with  which  it  was  made.  The  hour  appointed  for  setting  out  was 
delayed  only  until  a  sufficient  party  should  be  collected  ;  and  this 
was  retarded  by  the  ceremony  of  the  funeral  and  the  common 
anxiety  to  await  the  tidings  expected  by  the  coroner  and  his 
attendants.  In  the  mean  time,  the  Secretary,  feeling  moi'e  con- 
cern in  the  affairs  at  the  Rose  Croft  than  in  the  gossip  of  the 
town,  repaired  thither  to  await  the  moment  of  departure,  having 
commissioned  the  young  Benedict  Leonard  to  ride  as  far  as  the 
Collector's  and  give  him  warning  when  the  troop  should  take 
the  road — a  service  which  the  heir  apparent  promised  to  per 
form  with  the  greater  satisfactioiT,  as  it  assigned  him  some 
show  of  duty  in  the  general  engrossment  of  the  household,  and 
therefore  conferred  upon  him  an  importance  interesting  to  his 
vanity. 

The  Secretary  had  been  seated  for  some  time  in  the  parlor 
with  Blanche,  where  he  related  to  her  the  story  of  the  fisherman's 
murder  ;  and  when  he  told  her  of  his  purposed  adventure,  it  was 
with  a  prouder  tone  than  he  had  ever  assumed  before  ;  there  was 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  339 

even  perceptible  in  it  a  trace  of  self-exaltation  altogether  unusual 
in  his  speech.  He  was  now  a  bolder  and  more  assured  man,  and 
his  character  began  to  assume  a  more  confident  development. 
Blanche  listened  with  maidenly  reserve,  as  if  she  was  almost 
ashamed  to  confess  the  interest  she  took  in  Master  Albert's  com- 
munication. She  was  solicitous  for  his  health  and  comfort  in  the 
dreary  ride  through  the  woods  he  was  about  to  undertake,  and 
which  might  be  prolonged  until  late  at  night  ;  and  she  was  fain 
almost  to  advise  him  against  such  an  exposure — but  she  feared 
to  tell  him  so  much,  lest  it  might  be  thought  taking  too  great  a 
freedom.  Thus  engrossed,  the  hours  flew  by  unheeded,  and,  in 
truth,  forgotten,  until  the  afternoon  had  reached  nearly  four 
o'clock,  when  suddenly  Benedict  Leonard,  without  announcement 
or  even  premonitory  rap  at  the  door,  entered  the  parlor. 

"  Goodness,  Master  Albert  !"  he  exclaimed,  "  think  of  me — 
such  a  crack-noddle  !  You  will  never  trust  me  again,  I  may 
make  sure  of  that.  Would  you  believe  it,  I  rode  full  two  miles 
past  the  Rose  Croft  here,  with  my  uncle  Talbot  and  John  Alward, 
and  all  the  people  on  their  way  to  hunt  the  murderers,  without 
so  much  as  ever  once  thinking  of  you  ?  I  said,  when  we  started, 
I  would  ride  as  far  as  St.  Inigoe's  mill,  and  then  come  back  -, 
and  I  as  clear  forgot  you  till  I  stopped  at  the  mill,  as  if  there 
was  no  such  person  as  you  or  Blanche  Warden  in  the  wide 
world  :  and  I  might  have  thought  of  Mistress  Blanche,  too, 
because  my  Aunt  Maria  gave  me  a  message  for  her— now  what 
is  it  ?  Oh,  it  is  gone,— it  is  gone  !  a  plague  on  it  !  that's  got 
out  of  my  head  too.  No  matter,  Master  Albert,  my  uncle 
Talbot  told  me  to  say,  when  we  parted,  that  he  would  be  on  the 
path  which  leads  down  to  Point  Lookout,  and  that  you  must 
follow  as  fast  as  you  cau." 

"  It  is  late  in  the  evening  for  so  long  a  ride,  Master  Albert,'' 
said  Blanche,  as  with  a  look  of  alarm  she  involuntarily  laid  her 


340  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

hand  upon  his  shoulder  ;  "  you  will  not  venture  alone  so  near 
nightfall  ?" 

"  I  should  be  accounted  a  most  faithless  laggard,  if  I  stayed 
behind  now,"  replied  the  Secretary.  "  There  is  a  broad  road  for 
some  four  miles,  and  I  will  go  at  speed  till  I  overtake  the  riders. 
At  the  greatest  mischance,"  he  added,  smiling,  whilst  he  buttcned 
his  overcoat  closely -across  his  breast,  "'tis  but  a  night  in  the 
woods.  I  will  keep  this  vigil  of  Hallow  Mass  like  a  hermit — 
or  rather  like  a  squire  of  chivalry  undergoing  the  ordinance  of 
knighthood,  by  watching  over  his  sword.  The  saints  be  with 
you,  mistress  !  I  must  set  good  store  by  the  day-light  and  turn 
it  to  account :  farewell,  till  we  meet  again  !" 

"  Farewell  !"  faintly  echoed  the  maiden  ;  "  Master  Albert, 
let  us  see  you  to-morrow." 

"  If  I  was  Master  Albert,"  said  Benedict  Leonard  to  Blanche, 
when  the  Secretary  left  the  room,  "  I  would  court  favor  with 
Mistress  Coldcale  to  get  a  slice  of  something  from  the  larder  • 
oh,  this  riding  gives  an  appetite,  I  warrant  you,  that  a  man  will 
eat  his  sleeve  for  want  of  better  provender  !  There,  Master 
Albert  is  gone,"  added  the  youth,  as  the  Secretary  was  seen  to 
pass  the  window,  "  and  I  must  back  to  the  mansion  before  sun- 
set ;  my  mother  will  be  making  me  a  pretty  discourse  about 
rheums  and  catarrhs  and  all  her  other  ailments,  if  I  be  caught 
abroad  after  candle  light  this  time  o'  year — especially,  too,  as  it 
looks  like  rain  :  so,  good  even,  Mistress  Blanche  !"  and  with  this 
speech  the  heir  apparent  took  his  leave,  abandoning  the  maiden 
to  her  meditations. 

When  Albert  Verheyden  turned  out  upon  the  high  road  he 
put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  raised  his  speed  to  a  gallop,  until  he 
found  himself  immersed  in  the  hills  and  ravines  which  lay  about 
the  head  of  St.  Inigoe's.  One  or  two  wayfarers  whom  he  had 
chanced  to  meet,  had  answered  his  inquiry  after  his  companions, 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  341 

by  informing  him  that  a  troop  of  townspeople,  consisting  of  some 
eight  or  ten,  had  passed  along  the  road  at  a  pretty  brisk  motion, 
not  less  than  three  or  four  miles  ahead  of  him.  The  broken  coun- 
try into  which  he  had  plunged,  (the  road  winding  through  narrow 
dells  and  surmounting  short  and  steep  acclivities,)  the  thickets 
that  tangled  his  path,  and  the  occasional  swamps  of  the  low 
grounds,  forced  him-to  slacken  his  pace  and  proceed  with  greater 
caution  on  his  route.  The  prints  of  horses'  hoofs  upon  the  damp 
soil,  in  places,  were  fresh  and  showed  him  that  he  was  not  only 
on  the  right  track,  but  also  that  he  was  at  no  great  distance 
behind  his  company.  The  sky  was  overcast,  and  the  clouds,  as 
the  sua  came  nearer  to  the  horizon,  assumed  by  degrees  still 
more  and  more  of  that  misty,  dun-colored  hue  which  indicated 
the  approach  of  rain.  A  sombre,  dark  gray  tint,  unrelieved  by 
light  and  shade,  fell  over  the  whole  landscape  and  gave  a  cheer- 
less and  sullen  aspect  to  the  woods.  Once  or  twice  the  Secretary 
reined  up  his  horse  and  directed  his  eyes  towards  the  heavens,  as 
he  meditated  an  abandonment  of  his  expedition  and  a  return 
home  before  nightfall,  but  as  often  his  pride  forbade  a  retreat 
whilst  his  comrades  were  afield,  and  he  resumed  his  journey. 
He  was  in  momentary  expectation  of  overtaking  the  party  in 
advance,  and  made  sure  of  doing  so  when  he  should  reach  the 
fisherman's  hut  upon  the  river  beach,  towards  which  it  was  his 
purpose  to  direct  his  way.  Occasionally,  a  farm-house  opened 
upon  his  view  across  a  distant  field  ;  but  he  was  unwilling  to  lose 
the  time  which  a  digression  from  his  road  to  visit  it  would  have 
required,  only  for  the  sake  of  assuring  himself  of  his  road,  with 
which  he  believed  himself  to  be  sufficiently  acquainted.  At 
length,  night  began  to  fall  around  him,  and  his  path  to  become 
sadly  perplexed.  At  times,  he  could  scarce  make  out  its  traces 
in  the  obscurity  of  the  wood  ;  at  times,  it  broke  upon  his  view 
with  fresh  distinctness,  as  it  traversed  a  region  of  white  sand, 


342  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

and  thus  served  only  to  lure  him  forward  with  more  alacrity,  in 
the  hope  of  soon  reaching  the  margin  of  the  river,  from  whence, 
even  in  the  dark,  he  knew  he  could  find  his  way  back — at  least, 
as  far  as  the  house  of  St.  Inigoe's,  where  he  could  get  shelter  for 
the  night.  Now  and  then,  his  hopes  were  dashed  by  finding  him- 
self involved  in  those  thickets  of  alder  and  bay  which  denote  tne 
presence  of  a  marsh,  and  he  was  obliged  to  thread  his  difficult 
track  around  the  head  of  some  inlet  from  the  river.  It  grew  at 
last  to  be  dark  night,  and,  to  add  to  his  discomfort,  the  rain 
began  to  fall.  The  Secretary  dismounted  from  his  horse  and 
stood,  with  suppressed  breath,  endeavoring  to  catch  the  sound  of 
distant  waves,  hoping  to  find  himself  near  enough  to  the  river  to 
obtain  this  guide  to  his  footstep  ;  but  all  was  silent,  except  the 
pattering  of  rain  upon  the  dry  leaves  of  the  forest,  and  the  im- 
patient pawing  of  his  horse  upon  the  sod.  He  shouted  aloud  for 
his  lost  companions,  but  his  voice  echoed,  without  a  response, 
through  the  lonesome  wood.  "  I  jested  with  thee,"  he  muttered 
to  himself,  in  a  jocular  tone,  referring  to  the  maiden  who  was 
ever  uppermost  in  his  thoughts,  "  I  jested  with  thee,  but  a  few 
hours  ago,  upon  my  keeping  a  vigil  of  Hallow  Mass  in  the  woods. 
Dear  Blanche,  I  thought  nothing  farther  away  than  that  jest 
should  be  true  ;  but  here  my  evil  destiny  hath  brought  me,  for  a 
punishment,  to  make  it  real.  Well,  I  can  endure.  Heart  of 
grace, — I  will  confront  it  manfully  !  I  would  I  could  but  raise 
a  fire.  I  can  fast  upon  my  vigil  and  think  nothing  of  it, — if  it 
were  not  that  my  limbs  are  chilled  and  my  joints  growing  stiff 
with  cold." 

He  now  groped  around  to  gather  some  dry  wood,  hoping,  by 
the  aid  of  his  pistol,  to  kindle  a  blaze  by  which  he  might  warm 
himself  and  prepare  to  spend  the  night  in  more  comfort  than  on 
his  horse.  He  labored  in  vain,  for  every  thing  he  could  lay  his 
hand  on  was  saturated  with  moisture.     At  length,  he  mounted 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  343 

again  into  his  saddle,  determined  to  ride  onward  until  he  should 
chance  to  find  some  place  of  shelter.  He  had  now  not  only  lost 
his  path,  but  also  all  perception  of  his  course  :  the  darkness  con- 
fused him,  and  he  therefore  plodded  on  at  a  slow  pace,  uncon- 
scious to  what  quarter  of  the  compass  his  footsteps  tended,  and 
discouraged  with  the  thought  that  every  moment,  perhaps,  carried 
him  still  further  from  the  home  he  was  anxious  to  seek. 

For  a  while  his  spirits  sustained  him  without  drooping.  A 
man  in  such  a  situation  sometimes  finds  motives  of  cheerfulness 
in  the  very  desperation  of  his  circumstances.  Under  some  such 
impulse  our  wanderer,  as  he  plied  his  uneasy  journey  through  the 
dark,  broke  forth  in  song,  and  in  succession  poured  out  nearly  the 
full  treasures  of  his  musical  memory  ;  but  wearying  of  this  at  last, 
his  note  changed  to  whispered  sighs  of  self-reproof  for  the  folly 
of  venturing  alone  into  such  a  wilderness  at  such  an  hour.  His 
mind  then  ran  upon  the  images  which  the  creed  of  that  day  sup- 
plied to  the  imagination  of  our  progenitors, — the  "  swart  fairy," 
"  blue,  meagre  hag,"  the  spirit  of  the  wood,  the  wizard  and  the 
spectre  ;  then  came  dreams  of  banditti  and  outlaws,  prowling 
savages,  and  thoughts  of  some  accidental  coming  alone  upon  the 
den  of  the  murderers,  whose  recent  doings  had  occasioned  his 
present  ride.  With  these  fancies  swaying  his  mind,  he  grew 
apprehensive  and  distrustful  at  every  step.  There  are  moments 
when  the  stoutest  heart  will  quail  before  the  conjurations  of  the 
imagination  :  and  it  is  no  disparagement  of  the  bravery  of  the 
Secretary  to  say,  that,  on  this  night,  he  sometimes  felt  a  shudder 
creeping  over  him,  at  the  fictions  of  his  own  excited  fancy.  The 
rustle  of  leaves,  or  the  short  snap  of  a  rotten  bough,  as  the  fox 
prowled  along  his  stealthy  path,  more  than  once  caused  him  to  put 
his  hand  upon  his  sword  and  to  ride  cautiously  forward,  as  if  in 
certain  expectation  of  a  foe  ;  and  not  until  he  had  thrice  challenged 
the  imaginary  comer,  did  he  relax  his  grasp  of  his  weapon. 


344  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

Iu  this  state  of  mind,  for  full  four  hours  after  dark,  did  he 
wander,  uncertain  of  his  way,  through  wood  and  over  plain,  mid 
brush  and  brier,  over  fen  and  field.  At  length,  his  ear  could 
plainly  distinguish  the  beat  of  waves  upon  a  strand,  and  it  was 
with  a  joyful  change  of  feeling  that  he  believed  himself,  after  so 
weary  a  circuit,  approaching  the  margin  of  the  river,  along  which 
he  was  aware  he  should  have  a  plainer  ride,  with  the  certainty, 
in  the  course  of  a  mile  or  two,  of  finding  some  human  habitation. 
As  the  sound  of  the  waters  grew  stronger,  whilst  he  advanced  to 
the  beach,  his  eye  was,  all  at  onGe,  greeted  with  the  welcome 
sight  of  a  taper  glimmering  through  the  glade,  and,  by  its  steady 
light,  assuring  him  that  no  Will-o'-the-wisp,  as  sometimes  he 
feared,  had  risen  to  bewilder  his  journey. 

With  new  courage  and  reviving  strength  he  shaped  his  course 
towards  the  friendly  ray  ; — on  which  pursuit  we  must  now  leave 
him  to  attend  to  other  personages  in  our  story. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


Have  not  we 
A  commtnwcalth  amongst  ourselves,  ye  Tripolites? 
A  commonwealth  ?  a  kingdom  !    And  I  am 
The  prince  of  Qui-va-las,  your  sovereign  thief, 
And  you  are  all  my  subjects. 

The  Sisters. 


When  Cocklescraft  asked  for  Godfrey's  horse  on  the  night  that 
succeeded  the  prize-play,  the  reader  Avill  remember  that,  as  Cap- 
tain Dauntrees  overheard  the  conversation,  it  was  accompanied 
with  an  avowal  of  a  purpose  to  warn  an  enemy,  whose  name  was 
not  disclosed,  of  some  premeditated  harm  which  the  speaker 
designed  to  inflict. 

The  broad  arrow  scratched  on  the  door  of  the  Collector's 
dwelling,  when  discovered  on  the  ensuing  morning,  plainly 
enough  referred  to  the  fearful  menace  of  the  seaman,  and  suf- 
ficiently indicated  how  bitter  was  his  change  of  feeling  against 
the  peaceful  inmates  of  the  Rose  Croft.  Mr.  Warden  attached 
but  little  consequence  to  the  implied  threat,  nor  troubled  him- 
self with  measures  to  guard  against  the  intended  mischief, 
believing  it  to  be  but  an  ebullition  of  that  spirit  of  disaffection 
which  the  prompt  measures  of  the  council  had  already  so  far 
rebuked  as  to  leave  but  little  to  apprehend. 

Cocklescraft,  immediately  after  returning  to  the  town  from 
'  his  midnight  ride,  went  on  board  of  his  brigantine,  and  quietly 
weighing  anchor,  set  sail  down  the  river  and  thence  across  the 
15* 


346  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

Potomac — here  some  eight  miles  wide — and  finally,  before  day- 
fight,  made  his  way  into  a  small  creek  on  the  Virginia  shore,  a 
few  miles  above  Smith's  Point,  or  Cape  St.  Gregory.  Here  his 
vessel  lay  sheltered  from  the  observation  of  the  few  boats  which 
passed  up  and  down  the  Potomac — thus  affording  him  probable 
security  against  pursuit  ;  whilst,  at  the  same  time,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  this  region  were  reputed  generally  to  be  friends  to  the 
cause  of  the  Pendalls,  and  enemies  of  long  standing  to  the  Pro- 
prietary. He  had,  therefore,  only  to  make  known  the  colours 
under  which  he  had  lately  taken  service,  and  he  might  assure 
himself  of  stout  partisans  in  his  defence. 

On  the  second  night  after  his  arrival  at  this  retreat,  up  to 
which  period  he  had  remained  ignorant  of  all  that  had  transpired 
in  the  town  in  regard  to  the  arrest  of  his  comrades,  he  threw  a 
cloak  over  his  shoulders  and  taking  a  common  sailor-cap  got  into 
his  yawl,  which  was  now  rigged  with  a  mast  and  sail,  and  steered 
for  a  point  on  the  Maryland  shore  but  a  short  distance  below  the 
hut  of  the  fisherman.  His  motive  for  this  caution,  in  not  ap- 
proaching nearer  to  the  town,  arose  from  an  apprehension  that 
he  might  be  watched  by  the  garrison  of  the  fort,  and  perhaps 
pursued  to  his  lurking  place — an  apprehension  suggested  by  that 
sense  of  guilt  which  predominated  over  every  other  feeling,  since 
his  desertion  of  his  late  friends  and — what  weighed  with  heavier 
terror  upon  his  mind — his  abandonment  of  his  church.  To  avoid 
this  notice  he  landed  near  the  mouth  of  St.  Mary's  river,  and 
proceeded  from  that  point,  on  foot,  to  the  town,  a  distance  of 
some  five  or  six  miles.  In  his  journey  along  the  beach,  he  had 
passed  by  the  hut  of  the  fisherman,  and  had  crossed  the  creek  of 
St.  Inigoe's,  immediately  from  the  Jesuit  House  over  to  the  Col- 
lector's landing  place,  being  enabled  to  make  this  passage  in  the 
manner  detailed  by  the  Superior  to  the  Lord  Proprietary.  Upon 
his  arrival  at  the  Crow  and  Archer  after  night,  he  became  ac- 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  341 

quainted,  for  the  first  time,  with  the  arrest  of  the  conspirators. 
This  intelligence  hastened  him  away  to  hold  a  short  interview 
with  Chiseldine,  by  whom  he  was  admonished  to  tarry  as  short  a 
time  as  possible  in  the  port,  as  orders  were  already  abroad  for 
his  apprehension.  The  advice  thus  timely  offered  enabled  him  to 
effect  a  speedy  retreat  to  his  boat,  by  the  same  route  that  he  had 
taken  in  coming  to  the  town  ;  and  he  was  thus  saved  from  the 
fate  that  would  have  overtaken  him,  if  he  had  remained  a  half 
hour  longer  than  the  moment  of  the  fiddler's  visit  to  Captain 
Dauntrees. 

Tired  of  lying  perdue  so  long  on  the  Virginia  shore,  he  deter- 
mined to  proceed  with  his  brig,  first  to  St.  Jerome's,  where  he 
proposed  to  wait  two  or  three  days  to  observe  the  course  of 
events,  and  then  either  to  sail  abroad  or  take  his  course  up  the 
Chesapeake,  where,  if  pursued,  he  was  willing  to  trust  to  the 
speed  of  his  vessel  to  baffle  all  endeavors  towards  his  arrest. 
Upon  the  deck  of  the  Olive  Branch — or,  as  she  has  now  laid 
aside  her  peaceful  character,  we  may  call  her  the  Escalfador — he 
felt  himself  secure  against  annoyance  from  any  naval  force  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Proprietary,  and  this  circumstance,  together  with 
a  strong  confidence  in  the  number  of  the  disaffected  with  whom 
he  was  associated,  inspired  him  with  an  audacity  that  almost 
defied  the  public  authorities  even  in  their  own  resorts. 

With  a  view  to  communicate  his  intended  change  of  position 
to  his  confederates,  he  made  his  second  visit  to  the  town  pretty 
nearly  in  the  same  manner  that  he  had  accomplished  the  first. 
His  stay  in  the  port,  however,  was  longer  than  on  the  former 
night,  and  it  was  consequently  after  break  of  day  that  he  passed 
the  hut  of  Simon  Fluke.  On  his  near  approach  to  the  spot 
where  his  skiff  awaited  him,  he  encountered  the  fisherman,  who 
was  lurking  upon  his  path,  and  who,  at  the  moment  they  came 
within  speaking  distance,  was  endeavoring  to  conceal  himself  in  a 


348  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

thicket  of  cedars.  Cocklescraft  was  not  a  man  to  hesitate  in  the 
Commission  of  a  crime  under  any  circumstances,  and  least  of  all 
when  it  concerned  his  safety.  On  the  present  occasion  he  did 
not  stop  to  parley  with  the  person  who  waylaid  his  footsteps,  but 
obeying  the  impulse  of  his  habitual  sense  of  hostility  to  his  kind, 
and  the  ferocity  of  his  nature,  he  drew  a  pistol  from  his  girdle 
and  discharged  the  contents  with  such  certain  ^effect,  that  the 
fisherman  fell  dead  at  his  feet  without  a  groan.  ,  He  tarried  not 
to  look  upon  the  murdered  man,  nor  to  take  any  concern  even 
for  the  disposal  of  the  body, — but  leaving  it  a  prey  to  the  wild 
birds  that  hovered  near,  he  stepped  into  his  boat  with  as  little 
emotion  or  remorse  as  if  he  had  despatched  some  prowling  beast, 
not  caring  to  inquire  who  or  what  he  was  that  invaded  his  path. 

On  the  night  that  followed  this  adventure  the  Olive  Branch 
quitted  her  temporary  harbor,  and  the  next  morning  found  her 
secretly  ensconced  behind  a  woody  headland,  in  a  nook  of  St. 
Jerome's  creek, — about  two  miles  above  its  mouth,  where  she  lay 
safe  from  the  view  of  all  who  navigated  the  Chesapeake. 

Cocklescraft  began  already  to  feel  that  he  had  joined  his  new 
associates  in  an  hour  not  the  most  auspicious  to  his  fortunes. 
The  arrest  of  the  leaders  and  the  quiet  that  seemed  to  prevail 
throughout  the  land,  created  a  doubt  in  his  mind  whether  any 
thing  was  likely  to  be  fcchieved"  in  the  way  that  he  desired  ;  and 
more  than  once  he  meditated  a  retreat  from  the  province,  yet 
resolved,  before  he  did  so,  to  signalize  the  event  by  some  flagrant 
act  of  vengeance  upon  his  enemies.  This  thought  seemed  to 
please  him  ;  and  he  spent  the  day  in  ruminating  over  schemes 
of  retribution  against  these  who  had  of  late  treated  him  with 
such  contumely.  Uppermost  in  his  breathings  of  hatred  was  the 
name  of  Albert  Verheyden,  and  a  demon  smile  curled  upon  his 
lip  when  he  muttered  it. 

Such  provision  as  might  hastily  be  made  for  a  short  voyage 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  349 

now  engrossed  the  attention  of  his  crew.  His  armament  was 
put  in  order  ;  water  taken  in,  and  every  thing  done, — except  the 
stowing  on  board  of  such  commodities  as  he  designed  to  take 
away  to  other  markets, — to  prepare  him  for  sailing  within  the 
next  twenty-four  hours,  if  occasion  should  require. 
V  When  night  came  on,  and  the  rain  fell,  and  the  moon  was 
quenched,  and  the  murky,  cheerless  atmosphere,  so  congenial 
•with  the  unlawful  complexion  of  his  designs,  admonished  him 
how  little  likely  it  was  that  prying  feet  or  watchful  eyes  should 
be  abroad,  a  revel  was  held  in  the  Wizard's  Chapel.  Amidst  the 
lumber  that  lay  piled  in  confusion  over  the  floor  of  the  rude  but 
spacious  building,  room  was  found  for  a  rough  table,  around 
which  empty  casks,  broken  boxes  and  other  appropriate  furniture 
of  a  smuggler's  den,  supplied  seats  sufficient  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  twelve  or  fifteen  persons.  Here  were  assembled  the 
crew  of  the  Escalfador,  with  an  abundant  supply  of  strong  liquors 
and  tobacco.  A  fire  blazed  on  the  ample  hearth,  furnishing  to 
such  as  desired  it  the  means  of  cooking,  in  a  simple  fashion,  some 
substantial  elements  of  the  evening  meal  ;  an  opportunity  which 
was  not  neglected,  as  was  apparent  from  the  bones  and  scraps  of 
broken  victuals  which  lay  scattered  about  the  fire-place,  and  from 
the  strong  fumes  of  roasted  meat  which  sent  their  savor  into 
every  corner  of  the  apartment. 

The  men  who  constituted  this  company,  numbering  without 
their  leader  full  sixteen,  were  robust,  swarthy  seamen, — the 
greater  portion  of  them  distinguished  by  the  dark  olive  com- 
plexions and  curling  black  hair  which  denoted  their  origin  in 
Portugal  or  other  parts  of  the  south  of  Europe.  Several  wore 
rings  in  the  ears  and  on  the  fingers,  and  were  bedizened  with 
strange  and  outlandish  jewelry.  The  thick  moustache  and  shaggy 
brow  gave  a  peculiar  ferocity  to  more  than  one  of  the  company, 
whilst  the  close  and  braided  seaman's  jacket,  gaudy  woollen  caps 


350  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

and  white  breeches — the  common  costume  of  the  crew — imparted 
a^foreign  air  to  the  whole  group.  Some  wore  rich  girdles  with 
ornamented  pistols  and  daggers  ;  and  the  plainest  amongst  them 
showed  a  knife  secured  under  a  leathern  belt.  Their  only  at- 
tendant was  Kate  of  Warrington,  who  grudgingly  answered  the 
frequent  call  for  fresh  potations,  as  the  revellers  washed  down 
their  coarse  mirth  with  draughts  of  brandy  and  usquebaugh. 

Cocklescraft  sat,  somewhat  elevated  aboye  the  rest,  at  the 
head  of  the  board,  where,  without  carousing  as  deeply  as  his 
sailors,  he  stimulated  their  noisy  jollity  by  clamorous  applause. 
A  witness,  rather  than  a  partaker  of  this  uncouth  wassail,  was 
The  Cripple,  who,  having  matters  of  account  to  settle  with 
several  of  the  crew  before  they  took  their  departure,  had  now 
swung  himself  into  a  corner  where,  with  a  lighted  fagot  stuck  in 
a  crevice  of  the  wall,  he  alternately  gave  his  attention  to  a 
pouch  containing  his  papers  of  business,  and  to  the  revelry  of  the 
moment  ;  chiding  the  prodigal  laughter  of  the  crew,  one  moment 
with  querulous  reproof,  and  the  next  with  a  satirical  merriment. 

"  Bowse  it,  lads  !"  exclaimed  Cocklescraft,  as  he  brandished  a 
cup  in  his  hand  ;  "  drain  dry  to  the  Escalfador  ! — our  merry  little 
frigate  shall  dance  to-morrow  on  the  green  wave, — so,  do  honor 
to  the  last  night  we  spend  ashore.  Remember,  we  have  a  reck- 
oning to  settle  before  we  depart,  with  the  good  folks  of  St. 
Mary's.  Are  you  ■  all  ready  to  follow  me  in  an  exploit  of  rare 
devilry  ? — Speak,  boys  !" 

"  Ay,  ready,  Master  Captain  !"  was  the  response  in  a  general 
shout. 

This  outburst  roused  The  Cripple,  who,  lifting  his  head  from 
the  paper,  which  at  that  moment  he  was  perusing,  and  looking 
from  under  his  spectacles  upon  the  crew,  was  heard  to  mutter 
when  the  shout  subsided — "  As  ready  as  wolves  to  suck  the  blood 
of  lambs.     How  can  they  be  else  under  thy  nursing,  Dickon  ?" 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  351 

"  Ha,  old  dry  bones,  art  thou  awake  ?  By  St.  Iago  !  1 
thought  that  thy  leaden  eyelids,  Rob,  had  been  sealed  before 
this.  Ho,  lads,  bring  Master  Robert  Swale  forward — we  shall 
treat  him  as  becomes  a  man  of  worship  : — upon  the  table  with 
him,  boys." 

The  face  of  The  Cripple  grew  instantly  red,  as  a  sadden  flash 
of  passion  broke  across  it.  He  dropped  the  paper  from  his  hand 
and  drew  his  dagger  ; — then,  with  a  compressed  lip  and  kindling 
eye,  spoke  out — "  By  St.  Romuald  !  the  man  that  dares  to  lay 
hand  on  me  to  move  me  where  it  is  not  my  pleasure  to  go,  shall 
leave  as  deep  a  blood  stain  on  this  floor  as  flowed  from  the  veins 
of  Paul  Kelpy.  Who  are  you,  Dickon  Cocklescraft,  that  you 
venture  to  bait  me  with  your  bullies  ?" 

"  How  now,  Master  Rob  ?"  exclaimed  the  skipper,  as  he  rose 
from  his  seat  and  approached  The  Cripple.  "  Would'st  quarrel 
with  friends  ?  'Twas  but  in  honest  reverence,  and  not  as  against 
your  will,  that  I  would  have  had  thee  brought  to  the  table. 
Come,  old  comrade,  we  will  not  be  raffled  when  we  are  to  part 
so  soon.     What  would  you  have,  good  Rob  ?" 

"  These  bills  shall  be  first  paid  by  your  drinking  roysters 
before  they  go  to  sea,"  replied  The  Cripple,  somewhat  appeased 
by  the  skipper's  manner.  "  Here  are  items  of  sundry  comforts 
supplied — meat  and  drink  and  lodging  ; — and  here  are  services 
of  Mistress  Kate  both  in  making  and  mending  ; — here  for  tram- 
pling down  my  corn,  and  for  killing " 

"  Pshaw — a  fig's  end  for  your  trampings  and  killings,  and  all 
this  rigmarole  of  washing  and  mending  !"  interrupted  Cockles- 
craft.  '  "  I  would  be  sworn  your  conscience  has  undercharged 
your  commodity  : — so,  there  is  enough  to  content  you  for  the 
whole,  with  good  usury  to  the  back  of  it,"  he  said,  putting  a 
well-stored  purse  of  gold  into  Rob's  hand.  "You  have  ever  been 
too  modest  in  your  dealings,  friend  Robert  of  the  Trencher  : — 


852  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

when  you  get  older  you  will  know  how  to  increase  your  gear  by 
lawful  gain." 

"  A  hang-dog — a  scape-grace — a  kill-cow — a  devil's  babe  in 
swaddling  bands  of  iniquity,  thou  art,  Child  Dickon  \"  said  R,ob, 
laughing  with  that  bitter  salt  laugh  that  gave  to  his  countenance 
the  expression  of  extreme  old  age.  "  Thou  dost  not  lack,  with 
all  thy  wickedness,  an  open  hand.  I  have  ever  \ found  thee 
ready  with  thy  gold.  It  comes  over  the  devil's  back — Dickon, 
ha,  ha  ! — over  the  devil's  back,  youngster, — and  it  goes — you 
know  the  proverb.  This  closes  accounts,  so  now  for  your  humor, 
lads,  I  will  pledge  you  in  a  cup." 

"  To  the  table  with  him,  boys,"  said  Cocklescraft,  nodding  his 
head  to  those  who  sat  near  him  ;  and,  in  a  moment,  The  Cripple 
was  lifted  up  in  his  bowl  and  set,  like  a  huge  dish,  in  the  middle 
of  the  board, — a  ghastly  grin  of  acquiescence  playing  all  the 
time  upon  his  sallow  features. 

"Fill  me  a  glass  of  that  wine  of  Portugal,"  said  Rob,  as 
soon  as  he  found  himself  in  the  centre  of  the  company.  "  Here, 
boys,"  he  added  when  the  wine  was  put  in  his  hand,  "  here  is 
success  to  your  next  venture,  and  a  merry  meeting  to  count  your 
gains." 

"  Amen  to  that  !"  shouted  Cocklescraft.  "  Our  next  venture 
will  be  a  stoop  upon  the  doves  of  St.  Mary's." 

"  And  a  merry  meeting  will  it  be  when  you  count  your 
gains,"  interposed  the  harsh  voice  of  Kate  of  Warrington. 
"  Robert  Swale  will  keep  the  reckoning  of  it." 

"  Peace,  old  woman,"  said  Cocklescraft,  sharply  ;  "  your  ac- 
cursed croaking  is  ever  loudest  when  least  welcome." 

"Fill  for  me," cried  out  Roche  del  Carmine,  in  his  Portuguese 
accent.  "  I  will  pledge  the  captain  and  our  company,  with  '  His 
Lordship's  Secretary,' — we  owe  him  a  debt  which  shall  be  paid 
in  the  coin  .of  the  Costa  Rica." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  353 

"  Bravo, — A  la  savanna,  perros  ! — Huzza,  boys, — shout  to 
that!"  clamored  Cocklescraft,  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  "Drink 
deep  to  it,  in  token  of  a  deep  vengeance  !  I  thank  you, 
Master  Roche,  for  this  remembrance.  Now,  comrades,  you  have 
but  half  an  hour  left  before  you  must  depart  to  bring  down  the 
brigantine  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  A  pipe  and  a  glass 
more — and  then  away  ;  so,  to  it  roundly,  and  make  profit 
of  your  time  ! — Tobacco,  Mistress  Kate, — fill  Master  Swale's 
pipe  first,  and  then  mine  : — make  the  bottle  stir,  my  merry 
men  all  !" 

Having  thus  given  a  new  spur  to  the  revelry  of  the  board, 
the  skipper,  unasked,  broke  forth  with  a  smoking  song  familiar 
to  the  tavern  haunters  of  that  era. 

"  Tobacco's  a  musician, 
And  in  a  pipe  delighteth  ; 
It  descends  in  a  close 
Through  the  organ  of  the  nose, 
With  a  relish  that  inviteth. 

This  makes  me  sing,  So,  ho,  ho!  so,  ho,  ho,  boys. 
Ho,  boys,  sound  1  loudly, 
Earth  never  did  breed 
Such  a  jovial  weed 
Whereof  to  boast  so  proudly." 

"The  cackle  of  a  wild  goose,  the  screech  of  a  kingfisher  in 
foul  weather,  hath  more  music  in  it,  Dickon  Cocklescraft,  than 
this  thou  call'st  singing,"  said  Rob.  "  I  would  counsel  thee 
stick  to  thy  vocation— thy  vocation,  Master  Shark,  of  drinking 
and  throat-cutting,  and  leave  this  gentle  craft  of  music-making 
to  such  as  have  no  heart  to  admire  thy  virtues.  Ha,  ha  I" — he 
paused-  a  moment  to  indulge  his  laugh.  "  When  a  galliard 
of  your  kidney,  dashed  with  such  poisonous  juices  as  went  into 
the  milk  that  fed  you,  has  a  conceit  to  be  merry,  the  fire-crack- 
ling of  roof  trees  and  the  clashing  of  steel  are  the  fittest  melody 
for  his  mirth.  Dickon,  try  no  more  ditties,  thou  wilt  never  make 
a  living  by  the  art." 


354  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"  By  St.  James  !  I  have  sung  at  more  honorable  feasts  than 
ft  ever  fell  to  your  lot  to  partake  of.  Ay,  and  lady-songs,  too, 
— and  been  applauded  for  my  voice,  old  goblin  of  the  Bowl  ! 
Have  I  not  sung  at  the  back  of  Sir  Harry  Morgan's  chair,  in 
the  great  hall  of  the  Governor  of  Chagres,  in  the  Castle  St. 
Lawrence,  when  we  made  feast  there  after  the  sack  of  the 
place  1" 

''Truly," replied  The  Cripple  ;  "  whilst  the  hall  streamed  with 
blood,  and  the  dead  corpse  of  the  Governor  was  flung  like 
rubbish  into  a  corner,  to  give  more  zest  to  your  banquet — and 
the  women—" 

"  Yon  have  a  license,  Rob  of  the  Trencher,"  interrupted 
Cocklescraft,  "  to  snarl  at  those  you  cannot  excel.  So  e'en  take 
your  own  sweep  !  When  you  can  better  sing  a  better  song,  then 
I  will  hearken  to  you." 

"  On  my  conscience,  can  I  now,  at  this  very  speaking,  Dickon 
Cocklescraft,"  said  The  Cripple,  "a  better  song  than  ever  trilled 
through  thy  pipes. 

'  All  dainty  meats,  I  do  defy, 
Which  feed  men  fat  as  swine,'  " — 

he  sung,  by  way  of  proof  of  his  skill,  with  a  tremulous  cadence 
and  melancholy  whine,  as  he  flourished  his  pipe  in  a  line  with  his 
eyes,  and  nodded  his  head  to  mark  the  time. 

"  The  man  has  gone  clean  mad,"  ejaculated  Kate  of  War- 
rington, who  had  for  some  time  past  been  quietly  seated  on  a 
stool  near  the  fire,  and  who  now  arose  and  stepped  up  to  the 
table  to  satisfy  herself  that  it  was  actually  The  Cripple  whose 
voice  had  aroused  her.  "  You  had  better  be  telling  your  beads 
and  repenting  of  your  sins  upon  your  shrivelled  hams,  than 
tinkling  your  cracked  and  worn-out  voice  at  midnight,  to  be 
laughed  at  by  guzzling  fools — barked  at  by  sea-dogs  !  It  is  time, 
Robert  Swale,  your  old  bones  were  stretched  on  your  bed." 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  355 

"Faith,  thou  say'st  true,  Mistress  Nightshade,"  replied  Rob; 
"  thou  speak'st  most  truly  :  I  am  over  easy  to  be  persuaded  into 
unwholesome  merriment— it  has  been  the  sin  of  my  life.  So, 
put  me  on  the  floor — and  now  my  crutches — my  sticks,  Kate 
There — thy  lantern,  Kate." 

"  Away,  lads,  to  the  brigantine,"  said  Cocklescraft,  rising 
from  his  seat.  "When  you  get  her  at  anchor  off  the  Chapel, 
come  ashore  and  pipe  me  up  with  the  boatswain's  whistle.  We 
have  some  boxes  here  to  put  on  board  ;  and  then,  good  fellows, 
we  will  make  a  flight  into  the  city,  and  ruffle  the  sleep  of  some 
of  the  burghers,  by  way  of  a  farewell.  Rob,  I  will  go  with  you 
to  your  cabin  :  I  shall  catch  an  hour's  sleep  in  my  cloak." 

"As  thou  wilt — as  thou  wilt,  Dickon,"  returned  The  Cripple 
as  he  set  forth,  with  a  brisk  fling,  on  his  journey,  lighted  by  the 
lantern  of  the  beldam. 

"  Leave  the  lamp  burning,"  said  Cocklescraft  to  the  last  of 
the  crew,  as  the  man  was  about  to  follow  his  companions  who 
had  already  left  the  room  ;  "it  will  serve  to  steer  by  when  the 
brigantine  comes  out  of  the  creek." 

In  the  next  moment  the  Wizard's  Chapel  was  deserted  by  all 
its  late  noisy  tenants,  and  the  skipper  was  on  his  way,  in  the 
track  of  The  Cripple,  towards  the  hut. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


Cold  drove  the  rain — November's  wind 

Sang  to  the  night  with  dreary  din  : 
A  wanderer  came,  but  did  not  find 

A  heart  or  hand  to  let  him  in. 

Glengonak's  "Wassa.il. 


As  Albert  Yerheyden  approached  nearer  to  the  light  that  had 
broken  upon  his  view  and  cheered  his  footstep,  he  was  able 
to  discern  the  dim  outline  of  a  building  of  ample  dimensions, 
obscurely  traced  on  the  eastern  horizon,  now  relieved  of  that 
back-ground  of  forest  which  had  hitherto  circumscribed  his  vision. 
The  rain  still  continued  to  fall  in  a  soft  and  steady  drizzle, 
through  which  a  feeble,  diffused  light  barely  sufficed  to  show 
that  the  moon,  now  entering  on  her  second  quarter,  struggled  to 
assert  her  dominion  over  the  night.  The  wave  rolling  in  upon 
the  sand  with  a  ceaseless  and  sharp  monotony,  apprised  him  of 
the  proximity  of  a  broad  expanse  of  water,  and  he  had  accord- 
ingly little  doubt  that  he  had  now  reached  the  shore  of  the 
Potomac — somewhere,  as  he  conjectured,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  cabin  of  Simon  Fluke,  whither  he  supposed  his  steps  had 
unknowingly  tended  through  the  long  and  perplexed  circuit  of 
his  bewildered  journey. 

When  within  an  hundred  paces  of  the  light,  he  found  his 
further  progress  on  horseback  embarrassed  by  a  somewhat 
precipitous  bank,  which  induced  him  to  alight  and  make  the  rest 
of  his  way  on  foot,  leaving  his  horse  attached  to  the  drooping 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  357 

limb  of  the  tree  under  which  he  had  dismounted.  With  eager 
step  he  advanced  to  the  house,  and  on  reaching  the  door,  knocked 
loudly  for  admission. 

"  Good  people,"  he  exclaimed  as  he  repeated  his  knocks, 
"  arouse  for  the  sake  of  a  benighted  wanderer  who  has  lost  his 
way  in  the  wood.     Pray  you,  give  me  admittance." 

There  was  no  answer  ;  and  finding  that  upon  touching  the 
latch  the  door  yielded  to  his  thrust,  he  entered  without  farther 
ceremony.  The  embers  of  a  large  fire  glowed  on  the  hearth  :  a 
solitary  iron  lamp,  supplied  with  the  fat  of  some  animal,  instead 
of  oil,  burned,  with  a  bickering  flame,  upon  the  middle  of  a  coarse 
table,  over  which  cups  and  cans,  glasses  and  bottles  were  strewed 
in  disorder ;  pipes  lay  scattered  around,  and  the  coarse  hempen 
covers  of  bales  and  cordage  of  broken  packages  lumbered  up  the 
corners  of  the  room.  As  the  Secretary  raked  up  the  glowing 
coals  and  warmed  himself  before  the  welcome  fire,  it  was  with  an 
air  of  wonderment,  not  unmixed  with  apprehension,  that  he  cast 
his  eyes  around  this  strange  and  uncouth  place,  and  lost  himself 
in  the  attempt  to  conjecture  whither  his  erring  fortune  had  con- 
ducted him. 

"  Here  have  been  dwellers,"  he  said,  "  and  recently ;  but 
whither  have  they  fled  1  Can  I  have  so  far  lost  my  way  as  to 
have  straggled  to  the  Patuxent,  instead  of  the  Potomac  ?  Faith, 
I  believe  it  ;  for  I  have  heard  my  Lord  has  a  store-house  there, 
where  he  collects  his  customs — and  this,  by  what  I  see  around 
me,  must  be  some  such  place.  Well,  Patuxent  or  Potomac,  I 
care  not  which  ; — most  heartily  is  the  roof  welcome  :  for,  beyond 
this  I  venture  not  again  to-night.  I  would  I  might  see  the 
keepers  here  !  Surely  they  are  not  far  off,  since  their  flagons  are 
left  behind — and  not  drained,  neither,  for  here  I  find  good  drink- 
ing ware,  which,  to  my  poor  spent  frame,  is  no  boon  to  be  des- 
pised.    I  greet  you,  honest  nectar,"  he  said,  as  he  poured  out 


358  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

some  wine  and  drank  it  off  ;  you  come  at  a  good  time,  and  with 
a"  smack  that  your  dainty  wine-bibbers  wot  not  of. — Heigho  ! 
was  ever  man  so  weary  ?  I  shall  stretch  me  down  on  these 
coarse  wrappings.  And  there,  good  cassock,  you  have  done  me 
faithful  service  to-night :  before  the  fire  I  spread  you  out  to  dry, 
and  in  this  corner  make  my  bed." 

As  these  mattered  ruminations  escaped  the  Secretary's  lips, 
he  collected  the  remnants  of  bags  and  the  rough  cloths  that  had 
formerly  served  to  envelop  items  of  merchandise,,  into  a  heap  on 
one  side  of  the  fire-place  near  the  wall  ;  and  spreading  his  wet 
snrcoat  in  front  of  the  live  embers  which  he  had  now  renovated 
with  some  billets  of  wood  that  lay  at  hand,  he  flung  his  exhausted 
frame  upon  his  hastily-gathered  bed,  and  in  a  few  moments  was 
locked  in  a  sleep  that  might  have  defied  the  clamor  of  a  march- 
ing host. 

Here  we  leave  him,  whilst  we  turn  to  the  hut  of  The  Cripple, 
The  skipper,  intending  to  meet  his  men  as  soon  as  they  should 
despatch  the  business  upon  which  they  were  sent,  and  desirous  to 
snatch  a  short  repose  in  the  interval  of  their  absence,  had  thrown 
himself,  immediately  after  entering  Rob's  cabin,  upon  a  couch  of 
the  skins  of  wild  animals,  which  the  woman  of  Warrington  had 
spread  for  him  ;  Rob  had  withdrawn  into  his  own  apartment,  and 
the  crone,  having  now  discharged  her  household  cares,  hastened 
over  the  bank  to  her  solitary  lodge.  For  some  time  The  Cripple 
remained  in  an  abstracted  self-communion,  whispering  to  himself 
bitter  taunts  upon  his  own  folly  in  consorting  with  the  ruffians 
of  the  Chapel,  and  occasionally  chuckling  with  his  customary 
sneer  at  the  profligate  arts  by  which  they  collected  their  wealth, 
and  the  dissolute  liberality  with  which  it  was  squandered.  After 
this,  according  to  a  usage  which  was  observed  with  singular  ex- 
actness for  one  of  his  habits  of  life,  he  addressed  himself  to  his 
\  devotions,  with  the  apparent  fervor  of  a  sincere  penitent,  and 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  359 

scrupulously  performed  the  offices  of  prayer  and  meditation  ap- 
pointed by  the  ordinances  of  the  church  to  which  he  belonged. 
When,  at  length,  he  was  about  to  retire  to  rest,  he  was  not  able 
contentedly  to  do  so,  until,  with  that  characteristic  solicitude 
which  belonged  equally  to  his  temper  and  the  period  of  his  life, 
he  gave  a  few  parting  moments  to  the  computation  of  the  gains 
of  the  day. 

"  Dotard  !"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  began  to  cast  up  this  ac 
count,  "  I  have  left  my  wallet  in  yonder  Chapel,  with  all  my 
papers.  Oh  these  cup-riots — these  heady  revels,  made  for  hot 
brained  fools  and  prodigal  unthrifts  !  What  fellowship  should 
my  white  hairs  and  hollow  wrinkles  find  with  them,  that  I  must 
needs  turn  herdsman  to  these  bears  ?  Folly  goeth  armed  with  a 
scourge,  and  layeth  on  roundly,  good  faith  !  How  have  I  been 
whipped  by  that  most  wise  fool  in  my  time  !  Well,  for  a  pen- 
ance, get  thee  back,  thou  curtailed  and  misshapen  sinner  !  get 
thee  back  the  weary  way  to  the  Chapel.  Ha  !  should  these  night- 
birds  make  prize  of  my  written  memorials  !— Hasten — hasten 
thee,  Rob  ! — The  lantern — the  lantern  !  and  then  away." 

The  lantern  was  lighted  and  swung  by  a  small  chain  across 
his  shoulder,  and  taking  his  crutches,  he  was  soon  beyond  his 
threshold,  making  good  speed  to  the  Wizard's  Chapel. 

This  sudden  motion  had  so  far  roused  his  spirit  and  altered 
his  mood — which  was  ever  fitful  and  subject  to  rapid  change — 
that,  as  he  swung  briskly  onward,  he  found  himself  humming  a 
tane  ;  and  when  he  had  reached  the  door  of  the  Black  House, 
he  was  engaged  in  audibly  singing  the  words  of  the  song  which 
had  been  so  unceremoniously  suspended  by  the  interposition  of 
Kate  of  Warrington  : 

"  He  needs  no  napkin  for  his  hands, 

His  finger-ends  to  wipe, 
That  keeps  his  kitchen  in  a  box 

And  roast  meat  in  a  pipe." 


360  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"  Marry,  I  can  troll  it  with  the  best  of  them  yet  !"  he  said, 
evidently  proud  of  his  performance,  as  he  pushed  the  door  open 
and  entered  the  apartment.  His  first  movement  was  towards 
the  corner  where  he  had  been  sitting  before  he  was  lifted  to  the 
table  ;  here  he  discovered  the  leather  pouch  as  he  had  left  it. 
His  eagerness  to  find  what  he  sought  in  this  spot,  rendered  him 
for  the  moment  unobservant  of  everything  else  ;  but  now,  on 
casting  his  eyes  around  him,  he  perceived  the  coat  of  the  Secre- 
tary hanging  in  front  of  the  fire,  and  in  the  next  instant,  the 
figure  of  Albert  Verheyden  himself  prostrate  on  his  rude  pallet, 
breathing  the  long  and  audible  inspirations  of  profound  sleep.  It 
was  apparent  to  The  Cripple,  at  a  glance,  that  the  person  who 
lay  stretched  before  him  was  not  of  the  crew  of  the  skipper. 
With  an  instinctive  motion  he  drew  his  long  knife,  or  dagger, 
from  its  sheath,  and  swayed  himself  forward  to  the  very  side  of 
the  sleeping  man.  The  dagger  was  uplifted,  and  about  to  de- 
scend with  the  impulse  of  a  brawny  muscle  that  would  have 
pinned  the  victim  to  the  floor,  when  The  Cripple  suspended  the 
blow,  only  to  make  more  sure,  by  the  flash  of  the  light  of  his 
lantern  across  the  sleeper's  face,  that  the  person  he  was  about  to 
assail  was  one  who  had  no  claim,  from  acquaintance  or  confed- 
eracy, to  the  privilege  of  entering  under  this  forbidden  roof. 
When  the  secret  of  the  Black  House  was  endangered  by  the  rash 
curiosity  of  prying  eyes,  or  even  by  the  involuntary  knowledge 
of  the  casual  wanderer,  no  scruple  of  conscience,  nor  shrinking 
reluctance  to  do  a  deed  of  murder,  might  withhold  the  arm  of 
the  ruthless  ascetic  who  ruled  unquestioned  over  this  fearful  do- 
main. A  savage  scowl  lowered  upon  his  sallow  front  as  he 
stretched  forth  his  long  arm  and  passed  the  lantern  across  the 
quiet  visage  of  his  unconscious  victim,  whilst  his  right  hand  still 
held  the  dagger  in  act  to  strike.  The  scowl  suddenly  changed, 
as  he  stooped  forward  more  narrowly  to  scan  the  countenance  of 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  361 

the  sleeping  man, — and  a  strange  expression  of  instant  terror 
took  its  place.  For  some  seconds  his  gaze  was  riveted  upon  Al- 
bert Yerheyden's  beautiful  features,  as  heaving  his  head  upward, 
in  a  casual  motion  of  his  slumber,  the  Secretary  threw  the  whole 
contour  of  his  face  into  the  full  blaze  of  the  light,  and  disclosed 
his  glossy  and  almost  womanish  ringlets,  which  now  straggled 
over  his  ear  and  upon  his  beardless  cheek. 

"  Blessed  St.  Romuald,  shield  me  from  this  sight !"  murmured 
Hob,  with  a  slow  utterance  and  whispered  voice,  whilst  with  still 
fixed  eyes  and  a  frame  trembling  in  every  fibre,  he  stared  upon 
the  image  before  him.  "  It  is  a  spectre  conjured  hither  from  the 
grave,  or  the  juggling  cheat  of  a  fiend,  that  reads  to  me,  in  that 
face,  the  warning  of  a  life  of  sin  ?  Oh  God  ! — I  cannot  strike 
thee,  whatsoe'er  thou  art  !  So,  in  very  truth,  she  looked  whilst 
slumbering  on  her  pillow  !  that  same  fair  forehead — that  silken 
eye-lash,  that  curling  lip.  Who  art  thou,  and  whence  comest  ? 
What  witchcraft  hath  thrown  thee  into  this  foul  abode  ?  Sure, 
I  am  awake  !  I  have  not  closed  mine  eye  to-night.  There  stand 
the  tokens  of  this  night's  debauch  ; — these  cups,  these  flasks,  and 
+his  familiar  den  of  villainy,  all  bear  testimony  that  I  do  not 
wander  in  my  sleep.  These  limbs  are  flesh  and  blood,"  he  added, 
as  he  raised  Albert's  yielding  hand  from  his  bosom  ;  "  and  that 
brow  is  warm  with  the  heat  of  healthful  action.  Holy  saints  of 
Heaven  !  can  it  be  ? — What  is  here  ?"  he  suddenly  demanded,  as 
his  eye  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  jewelled  trinket,  which,  as  the 
sleeper  lay,  was  disclosed  in  the  inner  folds  of  his  vest,  and  which 
The  Cripple  drew  forth  by  the  chain  to  which  it  was  attached. 
"  To  Louise  1"  he  exclaimed,  when  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  simple 
inscription  on  the  back  of  the  richly  mounted  miniature — "  God 
of  Heaven,  by  what  miracle  am  I  haunted  with  this  sight ! 
Louise — Louise — poor  girl  !  that  little  portraiture  of  thyself  I 
gave  thee  with  mine  own  hand — 'tis  now  two  and  twenty  years 
16 


362  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

age  . — it  was  a  stolen  effort  of  the  painter's  skill,  and  thou  wert 
then  an  angel  of  light  that  shed  a  blissful  radiance  upon  my  path. 
And  is  it  then  true,  that  this  may  be  Verheyden,  his  Lordship's 
Secretary,  upon  whose  head  I  have  heard  ruffian  curses  heaped 
and  pledged  in  maddening  draughts  by  devils  at  their  carouse,  is 
thy  child,  Louise  ?  Mine,  T  would  fain  confess,  after  a  long  and 
stubborn  life  of  passionate  denial  and  scornful  hate.  Oh,  Louise  I" 
he  groaned  aloud,  as  tears  coursed  down  his  withered  cheek, 
whilst  he  bent  over  the  Secretary  and  parted  the  hair  from  the 
forehead,  upon  which  he  imprinted  a  kiss  ;  "  hapless  was  thy  fate, 
but  doubly  wretched  mine.  William  Weatherby,  thou  hast  been 
the  fool  and  dupe  of  that  devilish  disease  of  thy  blood  which  hath 
brought  showered  curses  upon  thee  and  thine  !  There,  sleep  on 
the  bosom  of  thy  child,  mother  of  an  unhappy  destiny  !"  he  said, 
as  he  quietly  replaced  the  miniature.  "  This  is  no  place  for  thee, 
unwary  boy  !  I  must  rouse  him  ere  these  blood-hounds  fall  upon 
his  track " 

"  A  soaking  night,  by  St.  Anthony  !"  ejaculated  the  boatswain 
of  the  Escalfador,  who,  at  this  instant,  thrust  open  the  door,  and, 
with  four  or  five  of  the  seamen,  came  clamorously  towards  the  fire. 
"  Push  us  yon  bottle,  and  let  us  see  if  there  be  any  of  the  stuff  left." 

"  And  let  us  have  fire,  Master  Boatswain  ;  I  am  chilled  to 
the  marrow.  Pipe  thy  best  whistle  for  the  Captain  :  he  told 
thee  to  pipe  it  roundly,  as  soon  as  the  brigantine  was  out  of  the 
creek." 

"  I  warrant  you,  I  will  wake  him,"  replied  the  boatswain,  as 
he  went  to  the  door  and  blew  his  shrill  note. 

"  Ho,  old  boy  of  the  bowl !  what  i'  the  devil  makes  thee 
here?"  demanded  one  of  the  crew,  when  his  eye  fell  upon  Rob, 
who  had,  at  the  entrance  of  the  men,  extinguished  his  light. 

"  Knave  !"  returned  The  Cripple  ;  "  who  gave  thee  license  to 
huff  and  swagger  under  this  roof  ?     Where  is  Roche  ?" 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  3(vi 

"  Aboard  the  brigantine  with  five  of  mr  messmates.  They 
have  her  at  hand  ready  to  take  in  the  stowage  the  Captain 
spoke  of." 

"  We  heard  as  we  came  across  the  field,"  said  the  boatswain, 
"  the  snort  of  a  runaway  horse,  which  this  fool  Francis  must  take 
to  be  a  devil  in  earnest — and  he  falls  to  crossing  himself  like  an 
old  monk  in  a  battle  with  Beelzebub." 

"  Whisht  !  we  have  a  traveller  here,"  said  Rob,  whose  rest- 
less eye  and  anxious  motion  had  evinced  the  disquiet  of  his  mind, 
ever  since  the  sailors  had  burst  into  the  room,  and  who  had  now 
placed  himself  in  such  a  position  as  to  screen  the  Secretary  from 
their  observation,  "  a  traveller  who  has  doubtless  lost  his  way  and 
wandered  into  the  Chapel." 

"Why  dost  not  give  him  the  knife  ?"  interrupted  the  boat- 
swain, in  a  whisper  ;  "  'tis  the  old  law  of  the  Black  House." 

"Cut-throat!"  ejaculated  Rob,  "am  I  to  be  schooled  by 
thee  in  the  law  of  the  Black  House  ?  The  stranger  hath  come  at 
unawares,  and  is  now  asleep.  He  hath  seen  nothing,  heard 
nothing,  and  can  report  against  no  one.  Put  a  bandage  across 
his  eyes  before  he  awakes,  and  let  two  of  the  men  bear  him, 
in  silence,  on  their  shoulders  free  of  the  Chapel,  and  set  him 
down  in  the  woods.  Thou  hast  stabbing  enough,  John  of  Brazil, 
in  thy  proper  calling,  without  doing  murder  in  sport." 

"  Ha,  ha  !  thou  preachest,  by  Saint  Longface  !  Thou'rt 
growing  tender-hearted,  Father  Robert  !"  said  the  boatswain, 
laughing. 

"  Caitiff !  wolf  !  kite  !■ — thou  shark  of  the  bloody  mouth  !" 
exclaimed  The  Cripple,  in  a  voice  suppressed  by  the  fear  of  wak- 
ing the  sleeper,  whilst  his  face  grew  crimson  with  rage  ;  "  but 
that  I  have  no  limb  to  reach  thee,  that  taunt  should  be  thy  last. 
Here,  Francis  !  thou  and  Pedro,  muffle  this  traveller  in  his 
cassock  and  take  him  heuce  ;  when  thou  hast  borne  him  a  quarter 


364  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

of  a  mile  in  the  woods,  set  him  down  to  make  his  own  way." 

fc 

Before  the  sailors  could  obey  this  order,  and  whilst  they 
hesitated  to  perform  what  seemed  to  them  a  useless  service  of 
humanity,  Cocklescraft  entered  the  apartment.  At  the  same 
moment,  Albert  Yerheyden,  whose  slumber  had  been  disturbed 
by  the  clamor  of  conversation,  now  awoke,  and  startled  by  the 
first  impression  which  the  inmates  of  the  place  made  upon  him, 
sprang  to  his  feet,  retreated  to  the  wall  and  drew  his  sword. 

"  Where  am  I — and  who  are  ye  ?"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  con- 
fused perception  of  the  persons  around  him,  and  of  the  spot  he 
inhabited.  "Your  pardon,  friends,"  he  added,  as  gaining  more 
self-possession,  he  turned  the  point  of  his  weapon  to  the  ground, 
and  smiled  ;  "  I  had  an  evil  dream  that  awoke  me.  Will  your 
goodness  let  me  know — for  I  am  a  benighted  traveller — what 
place  this  is,  and  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  this  shelter  ?" 

"  Ha,  by  St.  Iago,  you  are  most  welcome,  Master  Yerhey- 
den !"  said  the  skipper,  as  he  recognized  his  enemy  in  the  person 
who  had  made  this  appeal  to  the  good-will  of  the  company. 
"  'Tis  my  house  ;  make  free  of  it,  master  !  I  did  not  hope  for  the 
honor  of  this  courtesy  ; — thrice  welcome  !  You  have  been  abroad 
to-day  to  seek  the  man  who  made  bold  to  lodge  a  bullet  in  the 
brain  of  yon  caster  of  nets,  below  St.  Inigoe's  ;  do  I  not  guess 
well  ?  You  have  had  most  marvellous  good  luck  ;  for,  first, 
before  all  the  world,  you,  his  Lordship's  Secretary,  have  chanced 
upon  the  very  murderer.  What  will  you  do  with  him,  Master 
Yerheyden  ?" 

"  A  misadventure  has  thrown  me  into  the  power  of  banditti," 
replied  the  Secretary,  with  quiet  resignation.  "  I  have  naught  to 
say.  I  know  you  daring  to  do  the  purpose  of  a  wicked  will,  and 
can  hope  for  no  mercy." 

"  You  guess  me  right,"  replied  Cocklescraft  sternly.  I  dare 
do  what  I  will  to  do      You  and  yours,  especially  I  hate — and 


BOB     OF     THE     BOWL.  865 

have  sworn  against  your  life.  No  to-morrow's  sun  rises  on  my 
Lord's  dainty  and  darling  minion.  By  the  law  of  our  brother- 
hood, thou  diest  this  night,  Albert  Verheyden.  John  of  Brazil, 
take  him  forth — and,  by  the  lamplight,  discharge  a  brace  of 
p'stols  into  his  heart.  His  heart — be  sure  of  it  !  I  would  strike 
his  heart  : — it  shall  kill  more  than  one,"  he  muttered  as  he 
turned  fiercely  away. 

"  Dickon  Cocklescraft,"  said  Rob,  with  a  gathering  anger  that 
was  ill  concealed  under  the  show  of  calmness  which  he  now 
assumed,  "  have  I  lost  my  authority  under  this  roof, — mine  own 
roof,  let  me  tell  thee, — that  thou  venturest  to  usurp  my  right  to 
ordain  the  fate  of  the  rash  fool  who  invades  our  secret  ?  At 
peril  of  your  future  peace  and  thriving  fortune,  John  of  Brazil, 
dare  to  do  the  bidding  of  your  Captain  !  Would'st  have  the 
evidences  of  his  death  rising  up  in  judgment  against  us,  in  the 
blood  thou  spill'st  ?  Thou  art  but  an  apprentice,  Dickon,  to  thy 
devil's  craft,  and  a  halter  will  yet  reward  thee  for  thy  folly.  I 
will  pronounce  the  doom  of  this  intruding  spy.  Drown  him  !  let 
the  wide  waters  wash  away  all  trace  of  the  deed  : — let  the 
ravening  shark  devour  him." 

"  Ha,  ha  !"  ejaculated  Cocklescraft,  with  a  sneer,  "you  have 
a  conceit  in  your  humanity,  Rob  !  Do  it — do  it  in  your  own 
way  ;  but,  in  the  devil's  name,  be  quick  about  it.  I  have  a 
merry  sport  for  these  lads  to-night,  and  little  time  to  lose  : — so, 
despatch." 

"  Give  me  Francis  and  Pedro,"  said  Rob,  "and  I  will  order 
the  matter  myself." 

"  Away  then,  about  it  !"  said  Cocklescraft  ;  "we  lose  time  in 
prating  like  women  at  this  baby-play.  You  have  commodities 
to  go  aboard  to-night — look  to  it,  John.  Give  a  signal  to  the 
brigantine  to  send  the  yawl  ashore — briskly,  boys  ;  we  must 
work  :  so,  to  it  !" 


i>66  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

And  in  this  strain  of  ordinary  business  occupation,  the  skippei 
turned  from  the  horrible  fate  of  his  victim  with  a  careless  -indiffer- 
ence— almost  forgetting,  in  the  concern  of  shipping  some  contra- 
band merchandise,  (the  rapine  of  his  last  voyage,)  the  dreadful 
tragedy  which,  at  his  instance,  was  now  in  a  course  of  acting. 

Albert,  calm  and  silent,  like  the  victim  of  a  Pagan  sacrifice, 
neither  gave  vent  to  the  agony  of  his  feelings  in  sighs,  or  offered 
resistance  to  the  savage  hands  that  pinioned  his  arms.  Under 
the  direction  of  The  Cripple,  the  two  sailors  conducted  their  cap- 
tive towards  the  hut,  Rob  himself  following  with  the  coat  of  the 
Secretary  thrown  over  his  own  shoulder. 

The  rain  still  poured  steadily  down,  and  the  faint  light  of  the 
moon  had  disappeared,  leaving  the  scene  in  almost  perfect  dark- 
ness. Albert  Verheyden,  his  arms  bound  with  cords,  moved  at 
the  bidding  of  his  ruthless  conductors,  at  a  brisk  and  firm  pace, 
along  the  beach,  until  the  party  arrived  opposite  the  hut  'of  The 
Cripple.  They  approached  the  door,  which  being  thrown  open, 
gave  to  their  view  the  smouldering  fire  that  still  threw  forth  a 
glimmering  ray  from  the  hearth.  A  pine  fagot  soon  kindled  up  a 
blaze,  and  cast  a  broad,  lurid  light  over  the  apartment.  At 
Rob's  command  the  prisoner  was  brought  in  and  stripped  of  his 
doublet,  his  boots,  and  his  weapon,  all  which  were  taken  in 
charge  by  the  master  of  the  hut.  A  deadly  paleness  was  spread 
over  the  Secretary's  face  whilst  these  preparations  were  making  : 
but  his  lip  did  not  quiver,  nor  did  his  eye  lose  its  lustre. 

"  Why  not  take  my  life  at  once  ?  Why  mock  my  spirit  with 
this  horrible  delay  ?"  he  asked,  in  a  tone  that  partook  as  much 
of  anger  as  of  grief.  "  I  appeal  to  stones — to  brutes,  more  sense- 
less than  stones  !  Holy  martyrs,  aid  me  in  my  extremity  !"  he 
added,  with  a  subdued  and  resigned  temper.  "  God  will  avenge 
this  wrong." 

"Why  dost  falter,  knaves?"  exclaimed  Rob,  when  he  saw  the 


BOB     OF     THE     BOWL.  361 

Bailors  retreat  a  pace  and  mutter  inaudible  whisperings  to  each 
other.  "  Ha,  thou  must  be  wrought,  by  thine  accustomed  devil, 
to  this  work.  There,  go  to  it :  there  are  strong  waters  to  aid  thy 
lacking  courage — drink  your  fill !     I  will  help  thee." 

Rob  now  gave  to  the  seamen  a  bottle,  which  they  put  alter- 
nately to  their  lips.  "  Fear  it  not,  Pedro  !  Stint  not,  Francis  ! 
'Tis  an  ugly  job  at  best,  and  needs  the  countenance  of  a  man's 
draught.     Drink  again  !" 

"  Ay,  will  I,  like  a  Bloody  Brother  !"  replied  Pedro,  making 
good  his  word  by  a  second  application  of  the  bottle.  "  I  have 
been  on  the  Coast,  Master  Rob,  with  Mansvelt,  before  I  ever 
saw  Captain  Cocklescraft." 

"Ha"  said  Francis,  in  a  French  accent,  "  and  wasn't  Francois 
Le  Grand  at  the  taking  of  Maracaibo,  and  in  the  fight  with  the 
three  Spanish  galleons  ?     Diavolo  !  give  me  the  bottle  !" 

"  Brave  lads,  both  !"  shouted  Rob,  with  an  attempt  to  laugh  ; 
"  brave  lads,  and  worthy  !  We  shall  be  late  with  our  work, — 
haste  thee  !" 

"The  necklace! — I  had  forgot  the  necklace!"  said  Pedro, 
with  a  somewhat  thick  utterance  ;  and  leaving  the  room  for  a 
moment,  he  returned  with  a  large  round  stone,  which  was  ex- 
pertly enveloped  in  cords  and  fastened  around  the  Secretary's 
neck. 

"  Now  to  the  skiff,  lads  !  get  it  ready  upon  the  beach — see 
that  thou  hast  the  oars." 

At  this  command  the  sailors  went  forth  to  make  their  pre- 
parations. 

"  In  God's  name,  boy  !"  eagerly  demanded  The  Cripple,  the 
moment  the  seamen  had  left  the  room,  "  canst  swim  ?  Answer 
quickly  ;  I  would  save  thy  life." 

"  I  can." 

"Thanks  for  that  word  !     Thou  wilt  sit  beside  me  in  the 


368  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

boat — I  will  cut  these  cords.  When  I  extinguish  my  light, 
spring  into  the  wave  ;  make  to  this  shore.  You  will  find  your 
weapons  and  your  garments  under  the  door-sill.  These  drunken 
knaves  I  will  detain  from  pursuit.  Make  your  way  northward, 
along  the  beach.  Four  miles  from  here  you  will  reach  the  dwell- 
ing of  one  Jarvis — you  will  find  him  friendly." 

"  All  ready,  Master  Rob  !"  shouted  one  of  the  seamen,  as  he 
thrust  his  head  within  the  door. 

"  Take  more  drink,  Pedro — 'tis  a  wet  night,"  said  Rob. 

Whilst  the  sailor  obeyed  this  command,  The  Cripple  took  up 
a  billet  of  resinous  pine,  which  he  lighted  at  the  fire,  and,  under 
the  guidance  of  this  flaming  torch,  Albert  was  led  to  the  boat. 

The  two  mariners  took  their  places  at  the  oars  ;  the  captive 
was  seated  alongside  of  The  Cripple,  who  assumed  the  helm,  and 
all  things  made  ready  for  their  eventful  voyage.  The  surf  ran 
high  under  the  pressure  of  an  easterly  wind,  which  blew  in  upon 
this  shore  ;  and  nothing  was  heard  but  the  stunning  sound  of  the 
surge,  whose  foam  sparkled  as  it  broke  on  the  beach  from  the 
dark  waste  of  waters  of  the  bay.  The  torch  streamed  aloft  in 
the  wind,  flinging  its  light  full  upon  the  faces  of  the  sturdy  oars- 
men, and  plainly  enough  disclosed  to  Rob  the  stupefying  effect 
of  their  late  debauch  at  the  Chapel,  redoubled  as  it  was  in  the 
recent  potations  which  had  been  supplied  at  the  hut.  Albert 
Verheyden,  unable  to  account  for  the  sudden  interest  which  The 
Cripple  had  so  hurriedly  expressed  in  his  fate,  scarcely  could  per 
suade  himself  to  believe  in  its  sincerity.  But  still,  like  one  in  a 
dreadful  hazard  resolved  to  avail  himself  of  every  chance,  he 
inclined  his  body  towards  his  companion,  anxiously  waiting  to 
find  himself  relieved  of  the  strictures  that  bound  his  limbs.  From 
suspense,  doubt,  and  almost  despair,  he  was  suddenly  elevated  to 
the  most  exhilarating  hope,  when  he  found  the  knife  of  The 
Cripple  applied  to  sever  the  cord  that  suspended  the  weight  to 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  369 

his  neck,  and,  in  almost  the  same  instant,  to  set  his  arms  free. 
The  boatmen  were  struggling  to  push  the  boat  over  the  sand  in 
which  she  was  partially  imbedded,  and  having  got  afloat  waited 
the  moment  to  go  out  upon  the  ebbing  surf. 

"Steady!  strike  together,  and  briskly!"  said  Rob.  "You 
will  bring  home  a  lighter  load  than  you  take.  There — sturdily — 
as  we  ride  the  wave  !  Ha,  the  fiend  on  that  white  cap  !  this  salt 
sea  is  an  unruly  monster — it  has  quenched  my  light.  Pull  away, 
■ — we  have  shipped  a  hogshead  of  brine  !  A  plague  on  thee  for 
handling  an  oar  !  thou  hast  left  me  never  a  dry  thread  to  my 
back  : — mine  eyes  flash  fire  with  this  dripping  sea.  In  the  name 
of  the  wizard  !  are  we  not  too  light  in  our  craft  for  such  a  heavy 
sea  ?» 

"All  free!"  said  Pedro.  "A  little  salt  water  will  do  no 
harm  :  we  have  good  space  before  us.  Keep  her  head  to  it, 
Master  Rob.  You  may  throw  the  landlouper  over,  now.  If  the 
tide  should  wash  him  ashore,  there's  a  berth  to  be  found  for  him 
in  the  sand." 

"  Over  with  him  !"  said  Francis  ;  "I  would  not  row  a  cable's 
length  in  so  dark  a  night  to  drown  a  king." 

"  Ha  !  by  my  body,  I  believe  that  wave  hath  rid  us  of  the 
spy  before  we  were  willing  to  part  with  him  !"  said  Rob  ;  "  he  is 
not  in  the  boat — I  can  feel  nothing  of  him  around  me.  Thou  hast 
better  eyes  than  I,  Francis  :  look  under  the  seat.  Seest  thou  the 
prisoner  ?" 

"  I  see  nothing  here,"  replied  the  seaman. 

"Nor  I,"  added  his  comrade  ;  "these  landsmen  have  never  a 
liking  to  a  long  voyage — ha,  ha  !  Well,  he  sleeps  where  no  one 
will  call  to  wake  him  in  the  morning.    Put  about,  Master  Rob  !" 

"  I  know  not  right  hand  from  left — north  from  south,  in  this 

darkness,"  returned  the  Man  of  the  Bowl,  as  he  still  kept  the 

boat  heading  on  her  outward  course. 
16* 


370  ROB     OF     THE     BOTVL. 

"Down  to  leeward  1"  cried  Pedro.  "Dost  not  know  when 
the  wind  is  in  your  teeth  ?" 

"  Ay,"  responded  Rob,  "  thou'rt  a  wise  teacher,  master  frize- 
jacket  !  So,  now  for  the  surf  again — another  drenching  !  I  am 
a  mad-cap  fool  to  be  playing  the  boy,  in  my  old  days,  with  these 
storm-chickens.  But,  to  your  oars,  lads  !  we  must  back  to 
shore." 

Some  time  was  taken  up  in  manoeuvring  the  boat  so  as 
to  bring  her  bow  towards  the  shore,  and  a  full  half  hour  elapsed 
before  the  voyagers  had  again  readied  the  hut. 

As  Rob  made  haste  towards  his  dwelling,  he  heard  footsteps 
approaching  from  the  direction  of  the  Chapel,  and  anxious  to 
relieve  his  mind,  on  the  instant,  from  the  doubt  whether  the  sec- 
retary had  been  fortunate  in  his  endeavor  to  reach  the  shore,  he 
swung  himself  the  more  rapidly  forward,  and  before  he  enteied 
his  door,  thrust  his  arm  beneath  the  sill  to  ascertain  if  the 
clothes,  to  which  he  had  directed  Albert's  attention,  were 
removed. 

"  Holy  St.  Romuald,  my  blessed  patron,  I  thank  thee  !"  he 
ejaculated,  upon  assuring  himself  that  the  articles  deposited  had 
been  taken  off  ;  "  and  here,  on  this  threshold,  in  the  sincerity  of 
a  godly  vow,  I  dedicate  the  remnant  of  a  sinful  life  to  penitence 
and  prayer  !  Is  it  you,  Master  Cocklescraft  ?"  he  demanded, 
confusedly,  as  the  footstep  he  had  heard  now  arrived  at  the  gate 
of  his  enclosure.  "  A  stormy  night  we  have  had  for  this  foul 
play." 

"  Have  you  done  it, — and  well  V  eagerly  inquired  the  skipper. 
"  Hast  given  that  saucy  jack  to  the  supper  of  the  crabs  ?  By  my 
fellowship,  I  envy  you,  Robert  Swale  ! — and  would  have  choseu 
to  do  the  deed  myself,  if  it  were  not,  that  having  made  a  miss  in 
my  encounter  with  him  with  swords,  it  might  be  taken  cowardly 
in  me  to  handle  him  in  this  fashion.     I  was  glad,  Rob,  you  took 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  371 

it  upon  yourself.  Didst  make  a  clear  plunge  of  it  ?  Did  he  pray 
for  his  life,  ha  ?  Oh,  it  was  a  rare  chance  that  gave  him  to  us 
this  night  !     Tell  me  how  he  bore  himself." 

The  sailors  coming  up  at  this'  moment,  Rob  was  obliged  to 
confess  that  neither  he  nor  the  oarsmen  had  seen  the  prisoner  go 
overboard  ;  and  thereupon  he  related  the  extinguishment  of  his 
light,  the  heavy  surf,  and  the  subsequent  missing  of  the  victim. 

"  A  weight  was  fastened  around  him  ?"  sharply  inquired  the 
skipper. 

"It  was." 

"And  he  did  not  shuffle  it  off? — Art  sure  of  it  ?  A  light 
there,  Pedro  1  let  me  see  the  boat." 

The  light  was  brought,  and  the  boat  examined,  and  the  stone 
which  had  been  prepared  to  sink  the  body  found  lying  under  the 
stern-seat. 

"  Ten  thousand  devils  ! — he  has  escaped,"  roared  Cockles- 
craft.  "  Fool  that  I  was,  to  trust  this  matter  to  a  deformed 
cripple  ! — how  happened  he  to  be  so  weakly  bound  and  lightly 
watched,  that  in  such  brief  time  he  could  release  his  arms  and 
cast  away  this  weight  ?" 

Rob  listened  to  the  outpouring  of  the  skipper's  wrath  and 
impatience,  with  an  unaccustomed  calmness.  Ordinarily  his  fret- 
ful and  rebellious  temper  would  have  broken  out,  at  such  rebuke, 
into  imprecation  and  defiance,  and  he  would  have  spoken  in  a 
tone  which  would  have  made  the  leader  of  the  pirate  crew  quail 
before  him.  There  was,  in  the  countenance  and  bearing  of  the 
misshapen  tenant  of  the  hut,  an  expression  of  command  and  harsh 
and  fiery  resolve,  which  alone  might  master  the  rough  minds 
with  whom  he  held  his  daily  commerce  ;  but  there  was,  be- 
sides, a  personal  awe  of  him,  derived  from  his  secluded  life  and 
greater  intelligence,  approaching  to  the  fear  inspired  by  a  super- 
natural being,  which  was  sufficiently  potent  to  disarm  the  hostility 


372  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

and  secure  the  obedience  of  the  credulous  seamen  who  followed 
the  fortunes  of  Cocklescraft.  An  answer  of  defiance  and  reproof 
hesitated  on  his  tongue.  His  eye  glistened  like  that  of  a  basi- 
lisk, his  lip  quivered,  and  his  nostril  began  to  distend, — but  the 
instant  thought  that  it  became  him  not  at  this  moment  to  quar- 
rel with  the  skipper,  and  that  he  might  only  countervail  the 
mischievous  designs  (as  he  was  now  resolved  to  do  to  the  utmost 
of  his  power,)  of  this  vengeful  and  merciless  man,  by  the  coolest 
watch  upon  his  motions,  changed  his  mood  and  prompted  him  to 
assume  a  milder  tone. 

"  Thou  must  needs  have  a  revel  to-night,  in  the  Chapel,  Dick- 
on," he  said  with  a  laugh  in  which  he  could  not  entirely  disguise  his 
scorn  ;  "and  these  tarred  monsters  of  thine  have  grown  muddy- 
brained  and  thick-sighted  ;  they  have  neglected  to  do  their  work 
of  breath-stopping  so  featly,  as  thou  hast  taught  them  of  old." 

"  Whither  has  the  slave  fled  ?"  exclaimed  Cocklescraft,  as 
they  returned  to  the  hut.  "  Lurks  he  not  in  the  bush, — may  he 
not  yet  be  followed  and  retaken  ?" 

"  Oh,  truly  !"  replied  The  Cripple  ;  "  it  is  the  nature  of  an 
escaped  captive  to  lurk  around  his  prison  :  an  eaglet  that  hath 
broken  his  cage  will  fret  against  the  wires  for  admittance — the 
wolf  will  dally  upon  the  footstep  of  the  hunter.  When  thou 
canst  believe  these,  Dickon,  thou  mayst  hope  to  find  the  prisoner 
still  prowling  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Chapel." 

"  The  curse  of  the  Brethren  of  the  Coast  upon  him  !  By  St. 
Iago — I  will  have  my  vengeance  yet  !  Rob,  as  the  fox  hath 
scaped  from  your  hand,  I  may  claim  a  service  of  you.  I  shall 
set  forth  instantly  for  St.  Mary's,  with  a  dozen  of  my  picked 
men.  I  have  doings  on  foot,  old  sinner,  that  shall  delight  thee 
in  the  telling.  Mischief,  mischief,  Master  Rob  of  the  Trencher  ! 
which  I  shall  keep  secret  until  it  be  done.  I  would  put  such  of 
my  crew  as  remain  behind — barely  enough  to  sail  the  brigantine 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  373 

■ — under  your  command.  You  will  go  aboard  and  direct  her  to 
an  anchorage  on  the  outer  side  of  the  Heron  Islands  nearest  the 
mouth  of  St.  George's  river.  There  will  I  join  you  soon  after 
daylight.  Oh  !  bat  his  Lordship's  city  shall  ring  with  wailing  at 
my  leave-taking  !     What  say'st  thou,  Rob  ?     Wilt  go  aboard  ?" 

"  When  do  you  set  forth  ?"  inquired  Rob. 

"  Now,  on  the  instant — as  soon  as  I  may  gather  my  cut- 
throats in  the  yawl." 

"  And  at  what  hour  shall  the  brigantine  sail  ?" 

"  By  two  o'  clock,  at  latest,  as  much  sooner  as  you  choose." 

"Ha,  ha  !  Thou  wilt  make  me  a  limb  to  help  thy  devilry. 
Well,  so  be  it,  Dickon  !"  said  The  Cripple,  after  a  moment's  pon- 
dering over  the  proposal.  "  I  will  take  on  the  office  of  skipper 
for  the  nonce,  as  thou  takest  on  thy  more  accustomed  garb  of  an 
incarnate  devil." 

"  'Tis  agreed,"  cried  Cocklescraft,  turning  around  to  leave 
the  cabin  ;  "  behind  the  first  of  the  Heron  Islands,  Master  Rob 
— St.  George's,  I  think  it  is  called — remember  !  And  have  a 
caution  that,  before  you  cast  anchor,  you  have  got  a  position 
from  which  the  brigantine  may  not  be  observed  from  the  town." 

"  x\y,  truly,"  returned  The  Cripple,  nodding  his  head  and 
smiling  in  derision,  as  the  skipper  departed  and  closed  the  door 
after  him — "  I  will  take  good  care  that  the  brigantine  be  not 
observed  from  the  town  !" 

It  was  now  an  hour  past  midnight.  Cocklescraft  hurried  to 
the  Black  House  where  he  found  his  crew  awaiting  his  return. 
Francis  and  Pedro  were  directed  to  take  Rob  on  board  of  the 
brigantine,  and  with  two  other  seamen,  who  were  appointed  to 
go  before  them,  to  await  The  Cripple's  orders.  The  rest  of  the 
crew,  amounting  to  twelve  men,  were  armed  witli  cutlasses,  pikes, 
and  pistols,  and,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Cocklescraft, 
took  possession  of  the  yawl.     In  brief  space,  the  Captain  himself 


374  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

stepped  on  board.  With  the  turn  of  the  night  the  rain  began  to 
abate  ;  the  wind  was  veering  round  westwardly,  and  appearances 
seemed  to  indicate  a  change  of  weather  before  morning. 

The  word  being  given,  the  boat  was  shoved  off  from  the 
strand  ;  and  the  regular,  sturdy,  and  rapid  stroke  of  the  oar  was 
heard,  long  after  she  was  lost  to  view,  as  she  laid  her  course  to- 
wards Cape  Look  Out. 

Soon  after  this,  Francis  and  Pedro  knocked  at  the  door  of 
Rob's  cabin.  "  We  are  ready  to  put  you  on  board  of  the  Es- 
calfador,  Master  Swale,"  said  the  first,  just  thrusting  his  capped 
head  and  frize-clad  shoulders  into  the  hut. 

"I  am  with  you,  honest  gentlemen,"  returned  The  Cripple,  as 
he  came  forth  and  followed  them  to  the  boat. 

"  Up  with  your  anchor,"  cried  out  Rob,  when  he  found  him- 
self on  the  deck  of  the  brigantine.  "  Pedro,  make  what  sail  thou 
think'st  best,  and  stand  out  into  the  bay." 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  the  sailor  waited  on  his  new  captain 
for  orders.  "  We  have  a  fair  berth  up  and  down,  master.  Whither 
do  we  steer  ?" 

"  To  the  Patuxent,"  replied  Rob. 

"  Ay,  ay— our  course  is  northward."  And  the  brig  was  soon 
under  easy  sail  with  the  wind  abeam,  as  it  blew  moderately  from 
the  west,  with  here  and  thei'e  a  star  twinkling  through  the 
breaking  clouds,  as  she  made  her  way  towards  the  headlands  of 
the  Patuxent. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


Both  child  and  nurse  are  fast  asleep, 
And  closed  is  every  flower, 
And  winking  tapers  faintly  peep 
High  from  ray  lady's  bower. 
Bewildered  hinds  with  shortened  ken, 
Shrink  on  their  murky  way: 
Up  rouse  ye  then,  my  merry  men, 
It  is  our  opening  day. 

Joanna  Baillie. 


Cocklescraft  had  not  communicated  to  his  men  the  exact  nature 
of  the  expedition  in  which  they  had  embarked.  They  were  only 
aware  that  their  leader  had  conceived  a  deep  and  mortal  hatred 
to  certain  individuals  in  the  port  ;  that  lie  had  fled  from  it  as  an 
outlaw  ;  and  that  their  services  were  required  in  some  daring 
enterprise  which  was  designed  to  inflict  chastisement  upon  his 
enemies  :  they  cared  to  know  no  more.  Bred  to  rapine  and 
aggression,  knowing  no  law  but  the  law  of  their  own  fraternity  ; 
unpitying  and  unsparing  in  their  violence  ;  the  greater  portion 
of  them  strangers  to  the  port, — for  Cocklescraft  had  recruited 
more  than  half  of  his  band  amongst  the  islands  of  the  Gulf,  on 
his  last  voyage — these  desperate  men  were  ready  to  do  the  be- 
hests of  their  chief  in  any  act  of  outrage  to  which  he  might  com- 
mand them. 

In  an  hoar  they  had  doubled  Cape  Look-Out  and  were 
making  dextrous  speed  up  the  Potomac.  The  refreshing  breeze 
gradually  swept  away  the  clouds,  and  whistled,  as  it  came  directly 


376  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

ahead  upon  the  com'se  of  the  voyagers  ;  the  moon  was  just  siuk- 
ing  below  the  horizon,  and  the  stars  shone  forth  through  a  crisp 
and  frosty  atmosphere  ;  the  waving  forest  murmured  with  a  rush- 
ing sound  from  the  land  ;  the  billows  of  the  wide  estuary  of  the 
river,  under  the  impulse  of  the  suddens-changed  wind,  came  in 
conflict,  with  a  sharp  concussion  that  sometimes  gave  forth  a 
note  resembling  the  scream  of  the  human  voice  ;  no  friendly  light 
was  seen  glimmering  from  the  shore  nor  from  wandering  craft 
upon  the  river  :  the  marauders  were  alone  upon  the  water,  ply- 
ing the  lusty  stroke  to  give  a  more  fatal  speed  to  their  purpose 
of  crime,. and  the  hour  was  beguiled  with  ribald  jests  and  obscene 
ballads,  with  wild  and  drunken  laughter,  and  the  meditation  of 
horrid  outrage. 

Cocklescraft  himself  was  moody  and  silent.  His  thoughts 
dwelt  upon  the  past  scenes  of  the  night,  and  upon  his  present 
long-revolved  purposej  which,  during  the  last  twenty-four  hours, 
scarce  left  him  leisure  to  think  of  other  matters.  Even  the  acci- 
dental capture  of  his  enemy  at  the  Chapel,  and  the  escape  of 
that  enemy  from  the  fate  allotted  to  him,  lost  their  power  to 
move  him,  whilst  he  gloated  upon  the  cherished  design  of  this 
night.  ■) 

In  another  hour  the  boat  had  weathered  the  headland  at  the 
month  of  St.  Mary's  river.  As  the  skipper  entered  the  river  the 
first  of  the  Heron  islands  lay  upon  his  left,  and  he  anxiously  sur- 
veyed the  localities,  to  regulate  the  course  of  his  retreat  to  his 
brigantine,  which  by  his  order  was  to  be  in  waiting  for  him 
abreast  the  outer  shore.  "  The  blessed  sun,"  he  muttered  to 
himself — •"  shall  light  me  with  his  first  rays  to-morrow,  on  my 
seaward  track,  with  my  vengeance  satisfied  to  the  last  scruple. 
Ay,  by  St.  lago,"  he  added,  as  he  shook  his  clenched  hand,  and 
gnashed  his  teeth  with  the  energy  of  his  resolve, — "  to  the  last 
doit  of  the  debt  I" 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  371 

Another  interval  of  silent  labor  at  the  oar,  and  the  dim 
light  in  the  windows  of  the  Chapel  attached  to  the  House  of 
St.  Inigoe's,  yet  far  off,  upon  the  narrow  strip  of  land  which 
jutted  entirely  across  the  direct  line  of  the  boat's  course,  as  she 
hugged  the  shore,  showed  the  mariners  that  some  one  of  the 
officials  of  the  house  was  at  the  service  of  early  matins  on  the 
vigil  of  the  Feast  of  All  Souls  ;  and  their  familiarity  with  the 
watches  of  the  night  apprized  them  that  the  hour  approached 
four  of  the  morning. 

And  now  the  creek  of  St.  Inigoe's  is  opened  upon  their  view  ; 
and  on  the  further  bank,  the  house  of  the  Rose  Croft,  with  its 
embowering  trees,  is  distinctly  traced  against  the  clear  starlit 
sky.  A  solitary  taper  glimmering  through  an  upper  window, 
denotes  a  lady's  bower,  where,  under  the  protection  of  the 
friendly  ray,  Blanche  Warden,  perchance,  reposes  in  innocent 
slumber, — her  fancy  sporting  in  dreams  of  him  who  day  and 
night  lives  in  her  thoughts. 

This  reflection  flashed  across  the  brain  of  Cocklescraft  as  he 
directed  the  head  of  the  boat  into  the  creek. 

"  Pull,  with  a  long  sweep  and  a  quick,"  he  said  in  a  low  but 
stern  voice.  "  These  watch-dogs  of  the  fort  may  catch  a  glimpse 
of  us."  Then  having  advanced  far  enough  to  interpose  the  bluff 
bank  of  the  Rose  Croft  between  him  and  the  fort,  he  commanded 
the  men  to  cease  rowing,  whilst  they  muffled  their  oars. 

"  Not  a  word  above  your  breath,"  he  now  added  in  giving  the 
orders  which  were  to  guide  his  followers  through  the  enterprise 
for  which  they  had  been  brought  hither.  "  Listen  to  me  :  we 
land  under  yonder  bank — creep  in  silence  to  the  dwelling  you  see 
above,  and  pluck  from  her  bed  the  fairest  damsel  of  this  Western 
world.  Mark  me,  comrades,— you  have  sacked  towns  and  spoiled 
many  an  humble  roof ;  you  have  torn  children  from  the  breasts 
of  their  mothers,  and  wives  from  the  arms  of  their  husbands  ; 


318  EOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

you  have  dragged  maidens  from  the  inmost  chambers  of  their 
dwelling  and  laughed  at  their  prayers  for  safety, — and  you  have 
rioted  over  all,  with  the  free  license  of  the  Bloody  Brothers — but 
take  it  to  your  souls  this  night,  that  if,  in  the  assault  of  yonder 
house,  one  unnecessary  blow  be  struck,  a  war-cry  be  raised  or 
deed  of  violence  done,  the  man  who  offends  dies  by  my  hand. 
And  further,  when  the  maiden  is  brought  into  your  presence  let 
no  rude  speech  assail  her  ear.  I  go  to  seek  a  bride,  not  to 
plunder  ;  and  I  command  you  all,  on  the  duty  you  owe  your 
leader,  as  Brethren  of  the  Coast,  that  you  do  her  all  honor  as 
mistress  of  the  Escalfador.  My  sweetest  revenge," — he  muttered 
without  intending  to  be  heard  by  the  crew — "  is  to  marry  the 
worshipful  Collector's  daughter  without  his  leave — or  her  own, 
by  St.  Jago  !  The  rose  shall  consort  with  the  sea-nettle, 
Anthony  Warden  ! — though  it  be  not  to  your  liking.  Do  ye 
heed  me,  messmates  ?  Roche  del  Carmine,  to  you  I  look  to  see 
this  order  enforced  !" 

"  If  it  be  but  the  taking  of  a  single  damsel,"  murmured 
Roche,  "  it  was  hardly  worth  leaving  the  warm  fire  and  the 
bottle  of  the  Chapel.  Ha  !  it  will  be  a  story  to  tell  in  the 
Keys  that  our  last  frolic  in  St.  Mary's  was  at  the  Captain's 
wedding  !" 

"Dost  thou  prate,  sirrah?"  demanded  Cocklescraft.  "By 
my  sword,  I  am  in  earnest  in  what  I  say — I  will  shoot  down  the 
man  that  disobeys  my  order." 

"I  will  answer  for  the  crew,"  said  Roche  de  Carmine  ;  "the 
lady  shall  be  handled  as  gently  as  a  child  in  the  arms  of 
its  nurse." 

"  Ay,"  responded  several  of  the  sailors  ;  "  the  Captain  shall 
not  complain  of  us." 

The  oars  were  muffled,  and  the  boat  was  once  more  in  full 
progress  towards  her  destination.     A  few   minutes  sufficed   to 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  379 

bring  the  voyagers  to  the  small  wharf  beneath  the  cliff  of  the 
Rose  Croft,  and  in  a  moment  all  were  ashore,  except  a  single 
mariner  who  was  left  to  guard  the  boat. 

"Peace  !"  whispered  Cocklescraft  ;  "peace  with  that  rattling 
of  pikes.  Form  under  the  bank  and  remain  quiet  until  I  ascend 
and  examine  the  place." 

The  leader  now  crept,  with  noiseless  footstep,  up  the  pathway 
which  terminated  upon  the  plain  in  front  of  the  dwelling.  He 
walked  across  the  lawn,  by  the  very  spot  where,  scarce  a 
fortnight  gone  by,  he  had  had  his  hostile  interview  with  Albert 
Verheyden.  The  little  rustic  temple  of  St.  Therese  yet  stood, 
with  its  faded  foliage,  upon  the  grass-plot  :  the  flower-stands 
were  still  there,  although  the  plants  were  removed  to  their 
shelter  from  the  frost :  nothing  met  the  eye  of  the  foul-purposed 
rover  but  the  images  of  content  and  innocence  which  marked  the 
abode  of  a  happy  family  :  even  the  house  dog,  who  at  first 
growled  as  with  show  of  battle,  changed  his  threat  into  greeting 
as  the  Skipper  proffered  his  hand  and  claimed  acquaintance. 
The  tokens  of  confiding  security  were  all  around  him,  and  as  he 
recalled  the  last  time  he  had  visited  this  place,  and  remembered 
the  incidents  of  the  festival  of  St.  Therese — the  maiden's  cold- 
ness, her  father's  disdain,  and  the  Secretary's  favor,  he  laughed 
with  the  thought  of  the  mastery  he  now  held  over  the  fate  of 
the  household.  He  could  scarcely  withdraw  himself  from  the 
luxury  of  his  present  rumination,  but  wandered  to  and  fro 
in  front  of  the  dwelling, — then  made  a  circuit  around  it,  and, 
returning  again  to  the  front,  stood  beneath  the  window  through 
which  the  feeble  taper  shone  with  that  steady  but  subdued  ray 
which  of  itself  was  a  symbol  of  the  deep  repose  of  the  tenant 
of  the  chamber. 

"  I  could  wake  thee,  lady  gay,"  he  said,  "  with  as  blithe  a 
.serenade  as  ever  tuned  thy  dream  to  pleasant  measures — but 
16 


3    0  BOB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

that  I  lack  the  instrument.  And  though  I  be  not  the  cavalier 
of  thy  fancy,  Blanche  Warden,  pretty  rose  of  St.  Mary's, — yet, 
by  my  soul,  I  love  thee  well  enough  to  put  myself  to  some 
pains  to  teach  thee  how  thou  shalt  love  me.  We  dance  together 
on  the  green  wave  to-morrow,  lass  ! — little  as  you  dream  of  such 
merriment  now.  And  as  I  would  not  have  thy  blushes  seen,  I 
must  e'en  lead  thee  forth  before  the  day." 

With  this  sally,  he  returned  to  his  comrades,  and  commanded 
them  to  ascend  the  bank.  Three  men  were  detached  around  the 
house  to  keep  a  look-out,  and  the  other  eight,  following  Cockle- 
scraft  himself,  approached  the  hall  door. 

"  What,  ho  !  Fire,  thieves,  robbers  !"  shouted  Cocklescraft, 
aided,  in  raising  a  clamor,  by  his  men,  at  the  same  time  striking 
loudly  with  the  butt  of  a  pike  against  the  door.  "  Rouse  ye, 
rouse  ye,  or  you  will  have  a  house  about  you  ears  !  Fire, 
Master  Warden,  thieves,  rovers,  and  savages  !" 

A  scream  was  first  heard  in  the  chamber  from  the  window  of 
which  the  light  had  been  seen — and  Cocklescraft,  putting  his 
hand  to  his  ear,  laughed  as  he  recognized  the  voice  of  the 
maiden. 

"  By  our  lady,"  he  said — "  our  gentle  mistress  sings  well  !" 

In  the  next  instant  a  window  was  thrown  open  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  house,  and  the  figure  of  Anthony  Warden, 
in  his  night  gown,  with  a  candle  in  his  hand,  was  partially 
thrust  out,  whilst  he  exclaimed — 

"What  is  this  pother?  Who  comes  at  this  hour  to  alarm 
the  family  ?  Who  are  ye,  I  say,  that  seek  to  disturb  the  rest 
of  my  household  with  your  villainous  shoutings  ?" 

"  Answer  him,  Roche,"  whispered  Cocklescraft  ;  "  I  dare 
not." 

"  Open  your  doors,  Collector,"  said  Boche  ;  "  we  have  busi- 
ness with  you." 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  38] 

"  Get  you  hence,  drunken  knaves  !"  returned  Mr.  Warden 
"  I  will  call  my  servants  and  drive  you  off  the  ground." 

"  By  my  hand,  if  you  do  not  open  your  doors,  Master  War- 
den," said  Cocklescraft,  finding  that  he  could  not  trust  the 
conduct  of  the  assault  to  his  mate,  "  we  will  break  them  open, 
and  quickly " 

"  Who  are  you  that  speak  so  saucily  ?"  demanded  the  Collector. 

"Richard  Cocklescraft — an  old  friend,  Master  Anthony,  who 
being  about  to  put  to  sea,  would  make  his  last  visit  to  the  officer 
of  the  port.  Throw  wide  your  doors  and  let  us  in,  old  man,  or  it 
may  be  the  worse  for  thy  gray  hairs." 

"  Ho,  Michael  Mossbank,  Nicholas,  Tomkin  !"  shouted  Mr. 
Warden,  as  he  withdrew  his  head  from  the  window  ;  "  up,  get  up 
--bring  me  my  blunderbuss — we  are  beset — stir  yourselves,  my 
trusty  fellows  !" 

The  house  was  now  lighted  in  various  parts,  and  every  one 
was  on  foot.  Blanche,  at  the  first  summons,  sprang  from  her 
bed,  and  ran  to  her  sister  Alice,  screaming  in  a  paroxysm  of 
alarm;  but  whilst  the  invaders  parleyed  with  her  father,  she  had 
sufficiently  resumed  her  self-possession  to  make  a  hasty  toilet,  and 
then  to  repair  to  the  protection  of  Mr.  Warden's  presence.  The 
old  man,  not  coolly  —  for  he  was  wrought  into  excessive  rage — 
but  with  all  necessary  discretion  and  forecast,  made  his  arrange- 
ments for  the  coming  struggle.  Two  or  three  servants  had 
gathered  around  him,  as  he  descended  the  staircase  to  meet  the 
assailants  who  were  still  battering  at  the  door  ;  and  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  he  could  shake  off  the  females,  who  clung  around 
his  step  with  piteous  entreaties  that  he  would  not  venture  into 
collision  with  the  band,  who,  it  was  now  evident,  must,  iu  a  few 
moments,  make  good  their  entrance  into  the  house. 

"  Leave  me,  daughters — get  back  to  your  chamber,"  he  cried, 
as  he  forced  his  way  through  their  feeble  impediment,   with  a 


382  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

blunderbuss  in  his  hand,  and,  followed  by  the  servants,  took  a 
station  midway  in  the  hall,  whence  he  was  able  to  direct  his  de- 
fence to  either  the  front  or  the  rear. 

The  precautions  to  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  province  were 
accustomed  to  resort  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  their  dwellings 
against  the  attacks  of  the  Indians,  had  rendered,  in  fact,  every 
house  almost  a  castle,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter,  without  the 
proper  tools,  to  .force  an  admission  against  the  will  of  the  owner. 
The  stubborn  character  of  the  defences  of  Mr.  Warden's  dwelling 
detained  the  assailants  longer  than  they  expected,  and  gave  time 
to  the  small  garrison  within  to  take  all  measures  for  guarding 
themselves  that  the  condition  of  the  house  afforded. 

The  door  at  length  yielded  to  the  vigor  of  the  attack,  and  as 
it  flew  wide  open,  the  veteran  master  of  the  mansion  stood  with 
dauntless  front,  in  full  view  of  the  eager  seamen  ; — in  the  same 
instant  his  piece  was  discharged  with  such  effect  that  the  two 
foremost  men  reeled  and  fell  across  the  threshold. 

"  Grive  me  thy  gun,  Michael,"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  turned  to 
the  gardener  and  seized  the  long  Spanish  fowling-piece  with 
which  my  reader  has  already  had  some  acquaintance  ;  "  I  will 
teach  these  ruffians  good  manners  !  Back,  knaves  ! — unhand 
me,  villains  ! — Michael,  Nicholas  !" 

"  Stay  that  blow,  coward  !"  roared  Cocklescraft  at  the 
height  of  his  voice,  in  the  exertion  of  his  full  command  over  the 
crew,  as  they  had,  immediately  on  receiving  the  Collector's  fire, 
rushed  forward  and  overcome  the  old  man  by  the  press  of  num- 
bers,— the  servants  having  fled  at  this  onset.  "  Strike  him,  and 
you  shall  fall  by  my  own  sword  !"  he  continued,  as  with  his  cut- 
lass he  turned  aside  the  pike  of  a  seaman  who  had  aimed  it  at 
the  Collector's  breast.  "  Is  it  for  men  to  war  against  gray 
ha;rs  ?" 

"  Save    my   father — oh    God,    spare    his    life  !"    screamed 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  383 

Blanche,  as  she  now  sprang,  wild  with  terror,  half  way  down  the 
stair.  "  Men  of  blood,  have  mercy  on  his  age  ! — he  is  old — too 
old  to  do  you  harm.     Oh,  save  him  !" 

"By  the  Blessed  Virgin,  gentle  mistress,  I  swear  not  one  hair 
upon  his  head  shall  suffer  harm, — for  thy  sake,  dainty  lady,  if  for 
no  other  !"  exclaimed  Cocklescraft,  as  with  one  bound  he  placed 
himself  beside  the  maiden  ;  and  raising  her  aloft  on  his  arm,  he 
leaped  back  to  the  hall  and  thence  out  upon  the  lawn.  "  Follow 
me,  comrades  !"  he  shouted,  as  he  bore  the  screaming  maiden 
stoutly  on  his  shoulder  clown  the  bank,  and  laid  her  senseless 
upon  the  seat  of  the  boat.  Here  he  threw  his  cloak  over  her 
person,  and  summoned  his  men  immediately  to  their  posts, — 
having  taken  care  to  bring  away  the  two  wounded  seamen. — 
The  boat  was  about  to  be  shoved  off  from  the  wharf,  when  the 
figure  of  a  female  was  descried  coming,  at  a  rapid  flight,  from 
the  direction  of  the  dwelling,  and  uttering  a  shrill  note  of  lamen- 
tation, as  she  begged  them  to  stop  : 

"  For  the  love  of  God,  leave  her  behind  !  Oh,  have  pity, 
good  men,  and  do  not  tear  away  the  Collector's  daughter,  our 
young  mistress  !  Christian  men,  spare  her  to  us  !  She  will  die 
of  cold — she  will  perish  on  the  water — her  blood  will  be  on  your 
heads  !" 

"  Thou'rt  a  good  nurse,  Mistress  Coldcale,"  said  the  Skipper 
with  a  sportive  tone  which  mocked  the  distress  of  the  sufferers ; 
"  and  as  our  queen  will  want  an  attendant,  thou  shalt  even  go 
with  us.  Put  the  old  woman  aboard,  comrades  !"  he  added, 
speaking  to  some  of  the  men,  who,  almost  before  the  housekeeper 
could  utter  the  shriek  which  now  rose  from  her  lips,  was  lifted 
over  half  a  dozen  heads,  and  deposited  beside  her  young  lady. 

"  Cheerily,  now  to  your  oars  !"  shouted  Cocklescraft,  exulting 
in  the  success  of  his  inroad.  "  Lay  your  sinews  to  it,  lads,  until 
we  get  clear  of  the  creek,  and  then  up  with  your  sail  ! — we  have 


384  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

a  fair  wind  and  a  merry  voyage  before  us.     Speed  thee  !  I  scent 
the  coming  dawn." 

Almost  in  as  brief  space  as  we  have  taken  to  relate  it,  the 
boat  had  shot  forth  into  the  middle  of  the  creek,'  and  now  glided 
over  the  waters  like  an  imp  of  darkness  flying  homeward  to  his 
ocean  cave  freighted  with  the  spoils  of  some  evil  errand. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


And  hurry  skurry,  forth  they  go, 

Unheeding  wet  or  dry; 
And  horse  and  rider  enort  and  blow, 

And  sparkling  pebbles  fly. 

Lbcnoka. 


Albert  Verheyden,  at  the  appointed  signal  from  The  Cripple, 
had  sprung  into  the  surf,  at  the  moment  when  it  broke  with  its 
greatest  violence  against  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and,  almost  with- 
out an  effort,  was  swept  in  upon  the  hard  beach.  His  first 
motion,  on  gaining  his  breath,  was  to  hasten  to  the  hut,  seize 
the  clothes  that  had  been  stripped  from  him,  as  well  as  his 
weapons,  and  to  speed,  at  the  full  measure  of  his  strength, — now 
stimulated  by  his  mysterious  and  almost  miraculous  deliverance, 
— northwardly  along  the  margin  of  the  bay  ;  keeping  sufficiently 
remote  from  it,  however,  to  screen  himself  by  the  thickets,  which 
grew  a  short  distance  from  the  water's  edge,  from  detection  by 
those  who  might,  perchance,  be  on  the  watch  to  observe  his  course. 
Ilis  limbs  were  chilled,  but  by  degrees,  exercise  threw  a  glow  over 
his  frame,  and  he  soon  found  himself  recovering  his  suppleness  and 
power  to  endure  the  toilsome  walk  by  which  he  labored  to  reach 
the  friendly  shelter  indicated  by  Rob's  hurried  instruction  in  the 
hut.  After  what  seemed  a  progress  of  at  least  twice  the  space  in 
which  he  was  told  he  should  find  the  dwelling  of  Jarvis,  he  was, 
at  length,  greeted  with  the  cheerful  sight  of  an  humble  home- 
17 


S86  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

stead,  seated  upon  the  plain,  within  a  hundred  paces  of  the  tide- 
mark.  He  walked  at  once  to  the  door  and  rapped  loudly,  as  a 
distressed  man  is  apt  to  feel  it  his  right  to  do  in  a  Christian  land. 

"  I  pray  you,  good  people,  open  your  door  to  me,"  he  said  ; 
"  rise,  Master  Jarvis,  and  admit  a  friend  :  in  the  name  of  charity, 
I  entreat  the  shelter  of  your  roof." 

In  a  moment  the  door  was  ajar,  and  a  sleepy  voice  heard 
from  within  challenging  the  comer — 

"  Who  are  you  that  knocks  so  late  and  loud  at  this  door  ?" 

"  A  friend,  good  Master  Jarvis." 

''  Is  it  shipwreck  ?"  inquired  the  master  of  the  house,  as  he 
opened  the  door  and  admitted  the  wanderer.  "  Stand  a  moment 
until  I  get  a  light.     Are  you  alone  ?" 

Before  an  answer  could  be  given  to  these  queries,  the  ques- 
tioner had  departed,  and  in  a  few  moments  returned  with  a 
candle,  whose  ray  disclosed  to  the  Secretary  a  comfortable  family 
room,  furnished  according  to  the  primitive  fashion  of  a  substantial 
tiller  of  the  soil  of  that  era.  It  took  but  little  time  for  Albert  to 
rehearse  the  eventful  story  of  the  night,  and  his  narrative  was 
answered  with  a  kindness  that  gave  him  assurance  of  being  now 
under  the  protection  of  a  friend.  The  good  man  of  the  house 
detained  him  no  longer  than  was  requisite  to  enable  his  dame  to 
prepare  a  couch,  to  which  the  Secretary,  upon  the  housewife's 
summons,  eagerly  repaired,  and  soon  turned  his  sufferings  to  a 
happy  account,  as,  in  self-felicitation  at  his  escape,  and  in  render- 
ing thanks  to  God  for  the  mercy  that  had  raised  him  up  a  friend 
in  his  extreme  need,  he  sank  into  sweet  oblivion  of  his  troubles. 

"  At  the  dawn  of  day,  he  rose  refreshed  and  invigorated,  and, 
being  provided  with  a  horse  by  the  hospitable  farmer,  staid  only 
to  express  his  gratitude  to  his  host  for  the  favors  he  had  received, 
and  then,  with  as  much  expedition  as  he  could  command,  pricked 
onward  to  the  town. 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  337 

The  rising  sun  gilded  the  chimney-tops  of  the  dwelling  of  the 
Rose  Croft,  as  the  Secretary  descended  from  the  distant  hill 
which  gave  him  a  glimpse  of,  what  he  deemed,  that  happy  home- 
stead, through  the  embowering  trees.  The  atmosphere  was 
instinct  with  a  keen  and  bracing  healthfulness  which  imparted 
a  cheerful  tone  to  the  aspect  of  the  scene  ;  aud  as  he  stood  in  his 
stirrups  and  looked  around  him,  it  was  with  a  gladness  he  had 
never  known  before  in  his  life,  that  he  contemplated  his  near 
approach  to  his  home.  Thither  he  resolved  to  go  only  to  refit 
his  disordered  dress,  and  then  to  hie  with  quickest  speed  to  the 
mistress  of  his  heart,  to  whom,  with  an  impassioned  delight 
natural  to  the  romance  of  his  mind,  he  hoped  to  tell  his  perilous 
and  startling  adventure. 

The  roofs  and  bowers  of  the  Rose  Croft  sank  from  his  view, 
as  he  hastened  onward  ;  and  he,  at  length,  found  himself  on  the 
skirts  of  the  little  city.  There  were  ominous  gatherings  of  the 
burghers  in  the  street  ;  and  the  speakers  shook  their  heads,  and 
seemed  to  the  Secretary  to  converse  with  a  mysterious  gravity. 

"  They  have  heard,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  of  my  mischance  in 
losing  my  way,  and  are  fancying  that  I  have  encountered  the 
Indians.  No, — they  see  me  riding  here,  yet  no  one  comes  to 
greet  me  : — there  are  other  tidings  in  the  wind." 

And  with  this  conclusion,  anxious  to  know  what  had  occa- 
sioned this  early  commotion  in  the  little  mart  of  news,  he  pressed 
forward  to  the  Proprietary  mansion. 

An  hour  before  the  arrival  of  the  Secretary,  Rob  of  the  Bowl, 
mounted  on  a  sober-paced  horse, — his  thighs  grasping  the  saddle 
with  more  security  than  one  might  expect  from  his  diminished 
quantity  of  limb,  his  trencher  hanging  by  a  strap  like  a  huge 
shield  at  his  back,  entered  the  town.  He  had  run  the  Escalfador 
into  the  little  inlet  of  Mattapany,  just  inside  the  Patuxent, 
where  he  left  her  under  the  guns  of  the  fort  which  the  Proprie- 


388  BOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

,.tary  maintained  at  this  post  ;  and  going  immediately  on  shore, 
he  communicated  to  the  commander  of  the  garrison  the  circum- 
stances which  induced  his  visit,  requesting  that  the  brigantine 
should  be  detained  at  her  present  mooring  until  his  Lordship's 
pleasure  might  be  known.  Then,  having  procured  a  horse,  he  set 
forth,  long  before  daylight  threw  its  flush  upon  the  eastern  sky, 
upon  his  journey  to  St.  Mary's,  not  doubting  to  hear,  upon  his 
arrival  there,  a  story  of  outrage  (though  against  whom,  or  how 
perpretrated,  he  could  not  guess)  done  by  the  band  of  the  Wizard's 
Chapel.  Without  stopping  to  notice  the  wandering  gaze  of  the 
townsfolk  at  the  strange  and  unfamiliar  spectacle  he  exhibited  to 
them,  he  made  his  way  directly  to  the  dwelling  of  Father  Pierre. 

By  the  aid  of  the  good  father  himself,  he  was  dismounted 
from  his  horse  and  straightway  conducted  into  the  study  of  the 
churchman. 

"  You  have  reason  to  be  amazed  at  this  early  visit,  reverend 
father,"  he  said,  "  but  my  errand  will  allow  no  ceremony." 

"You  come  to  tell  somewhat  of  the  ruffians,"  hastily  answered 
Father  Pierre,  with  a  look  and  tone  of  sorrow,  which  informed 
The  Cripple,  at  the  outset,  that  some  deed  of  horror  had  already 
been  done, — "  who  last  night  violated  the  sanctuary  of  the 
worthy  Collector's  roof,  and  stole  away  his  daughter " 

"  Hah  !"  exclaimed  Rob,  kindling  with  sudden  wronder  ; 
"  was  that  the  drift  of  Dickon  Cocklescraft's  raid  last  night  ! 
He  has  stolen  the  damsel  ?  Viper  !  hell-hound  !  I  heard  it  not, 
holy  father  :  but  I  guessed  some  such  outrage.  I  have  hastened 
hither  faster  than  these  crippled  limbs  are  wont  to  travel,  to  tell 
thee  where  the  robber  may  be  found.  I  knew  his  purpose  of 
mischief,  though  not  against  whom  it  tended — ha,  ha,  ha  !  I 
have  baulked  him  !  I  have  baulked  him  !" 

"  Speak,  old  man,  more  coherently  :  we  are  lost  in  doubt,  and 
overcome  with  grief, — say,  where  has  the  ravisher  fled  ?" 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  38S 

"  To  the  Heron  islands,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  There  he 
hopes  to  find  his  brigantine — but  I  have  cheated  him,  Father 
Pierre  !     Lose  no  time — but  set  pursuit  on  foot." 

"  The  town  is  wild  with  conjecture,"  returned  the  priest  ; 
"  Master  Warden's  servants  have  told  the  dreadful  tale  :  but 
whither  to  search,  no  one  yet  has  told.  Come  instantly  with  me 
to  the  Proprietary's.  He  who  can  point  out  the  path  of  rescue 
will  be  more  than  a  welcome  guest." 

The  priest  lost  no  time  in  causing  Pob  to  be  again  set  in  his 
saddle  ;  and  walking  beside  the  horse  across  the  plain  which 
separated  the  dwelling  of  the  Proprietary  from  the  city,  Father 
Pierre  soon  halted  with  his  companion  at  the  door. 

Previous   to   the   arrival   of   The    Cripple,    and    afterwards, 
during  the  conference  between  him  and  the  Proprietary,  in  which 
measures  were  debated  for  the  pursuit  of  the  pirates,  the  excite- 
ment of  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Mary's  was  aroused  to  the  most 
intense  agitation.     The  tidings  brought  from  the  Pose  Croft  had 
awakened  the  town  at  the  dawn  of  day,  and  rumor  told  in  every 
dwelling  the  sad  history  of  the  skipper's  onslaught.     The  fate  of 
Blanche  was  bewailed  by  all  with  bitter  lamentation.     Old  and 
young  grew  frantic  at  the  thought  of  a  delicate  and  defenceless 
maiden,  torn  from  her  parent  bower,  in  the  dead  of  the  night, 
and  abandoned  to  the  custody  of  miscreants,  in  whose  bosoms 
not  one  sentiment  of  pity  or  remorse  mitigated  the  fury  of  their 
brutal  passions  ;   and  they  uttered  deep  imprecations  as  they 
dwelt  upon  the  dreadful  fate  which  had  befallen  their  cherished 
Pose  of  St.  Mary's.     All  were  astir  to  do  something  for  her 
rescue,  yet  none  seemed  to  know  what  was  proper  to  be  done. 
The  women  wrung  their  hands  and  wept,  running  wildly  from 
place  to  place  ;  the  elder  burghers  conversed  in  doubting  and. 
dilatory  consultations  ;  and  the  young  men  of  the  port  vented 
their  anger  in  loud  cries  for  vengeance  against  the  perpetrators 


390  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

.  of  the  outrage, — suggesting  as  many  plans  of  pursuit  as  there 
were  varying  rumors  of  the  retreat  of  the  invaders,  and  calling 
loudly  to  be  led  into  immediate  action. 

"  The  Olive  Branch  did  not  slip  off  so  quietly  on  a  harmless 
flight,"  said  Nicholas  Verbrack,  the  lieutenant  of  the  fort,  as  he 
stood  in  the  midst  of  some  eight  or  ten  companions,  on  a  bluff 
bank,  which,  near  the  middle  of  the  town,  gave  a  view  of  the 
whole  extent  of  the  river.  "  I  thought  that  there  was  something 
too  saucy  both  in  the  craft  and  in  her  skipper,  to  have  either  of 
them  accounted  honest  dealers  in  the  port." 

"  Honest  dealers  !'?  exclaimed  Master  Wiseman, — one  of  the 
five  aldermen  who  were  elected  every  two  years  to  preserve  the 
corporate  franchise  of  the  city,  and  who  contrived  to  make  up  for 
the  want  of  official  duty  by  a  redundancy  of  official  importance  ; 
"Honest  dealers,  forsooth  !  That  fellow  Cocklescraft  has  ever 
been  under  the  suspicion  of  the  board.  We  have  noted  him, 
masters  :  but  what  could  we  do  when  his  Lordship  has  always 
been  personally  present  in  the  city,  and  has,  I  may  say,  en- 
couraged the  fellow  as  a  trader, — because,  forsooth,  his  custom 
helped  to  fill  the  exchequer  of  the  province.  Morals  before 
money  has  always  been  my  song  ;  but  it  is  preaching  to  a  degen- 
erate age — what  have  we  to  expect  ?" 

"  And  the  women,"  added  Peregrine  Cadger,  "  the  women 
ran  away  with  the  man's  wits.  Why,  mark  you,  sirs — what  man, 
I  would  ask,  but  would  grow  bold  and  freakish, — ay,  and  wicked, 
— who  has  wife,  maid,  and  widow,  ever  at  his  heels,  singing  and 
saying  all  manner  of  flateries,  till,  at  last,  one  would  think  they 
had  no  other  note." 

"  Oh,  but  it  was  horrible, — most  aggravating  and  miserable, 
— this  taking  off !"  groaned  Willy,  the  fiddler.  "  Proudly  and 
gladly  would  I  have  felt  to  be  taken  in  her  stead  1  I  would  suffer 
every  misfortune — " 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  391 

"  And  the  worst  of  it  is,  Master  Willy,"  interrupted  Wise 
Watkin,  "they  have  taken  Mistress  Bridget  Coldcale — that's  a  loss 
to  the  province  : — I  should  not  lie  if  I  said  to  the  whole  town." 

■ '  Why  stand  prating  and  grieving  like  gossips  at  a  funeral," 
said  John  Firebrace,  the  smith,  "  whilst  all  the  time  the  rascal 
thieves  are  putting  more  land  and  water  between  them  and 
us.  I  think  their  worships  of  the  council  are  somewhat  tedious 
over  the  matter  ;  they  talk  longe'r  than  is  necessary, — or  else 
that  old  crop-limbed,  vinegar-face,  Rob  of  the  Bowl,  hath  more 
to  tell,  than  commonly  it  is  his  habit.  It  is  special  matter  that 
has  brought  him  to  the  port  this  morning.  He  knows  more 
devil's-dealing  than  it  pleases  him,  at  all  times,  to  let  his  neighbor 
hear.  Yonder  rides  Master  Yerheyden,  the  Secretary/'  he  added, 
as  Albert  now  appeared  at  a  distance  directing  his  course  towards 
the  mansion  of  the  Proprietary  ;  "  he  may  hasten  matters.  I 
would  that  they  would  put  us  in  the  way  of  doing  something  to 
save  our  poor  young  lady  from  the  jaws  of  these  sharks  !" 

The  smith  had  scarcely  ceased  speaking  when  Captain  Daun- 
trees  was  seen  coming  towards  the  group.  Whilst  he  Was  yet 
some  paces  off,  he  called  out  to  the  Lieutenant, — 

"  Master  Yerbrack, — quickly  get  thee  to  the  fort,  and  march 
me  instantly  twenty  men  down  to  the  quay.  See  that  they  be 
provided,  Lieutenant,  with  all  things  necessary  for  service.  Lose 
no  time  ;  but  away." 

The  Lieutenant  instantly  departed,  and  the  Captain  approach- 
ing the  assemblage,  continued, — 

"John  Firebrace,  get  thy  horse,  man,  and  thy  weapon. 
Colonel  Talbot  rides  down  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  with  a 
score  of  men  at  his  heels.  He  counts  upon  you  and  your  friends. 
Meet  him  quickly  on  the  common  behind  the  Town  House." 

These  orders,  hastily  given,  separated  the  company;  and  every 
one  now  hied  towards  the  places  appointed  for  these  gatherings. 


392  ROB     OF    THJ,     BOWL. 

Already  Colonel  Talbot  was  on  horseback  collecting  some  of 
the  more  active  young  men  of  the  town  :  and  in  a  brief  space — 
for  in  truth  most  of  them  were  expecting  the  summons — a  troop 
of  some  twenty  were  assembled,  ready  to  follow  wherever  he 
should  command.  Amongst  these  were  Arnold  de  la  Grange 
and  old  Pamesack,  both  equipped  and  mounted  after  their  accus- 
tomed fashion,  in  a  manner  that  might  have  provoked  a  smile 
from  the  furred,  and  laced,  and  feathered  cavalry  of  more  orderly 
armies,  but  which,  we  may  venture  to  believe,  was  quite  as  effec- 
tive as  a  more  gaudy  furniture.  Last  in  this  marshalled  array, 
came  Albert  Yerheyden,  pale,  breathless,  and  almost  frenzied 
with  the  narrative  he  had  just  heard  of  the  disasters  of  the  night. 
He  staid  at  the  mansion  but  long  enough  to  substitute  a  more 
active  horse  for  the  clumsy  animal  on  which  he  had  made  his 
journey  to  the  town  ;  and  then  hastened  to  join  the  party  who 
were  about  to  be  ferried  across  the  river,  and  to  scour  the  coun- 
try along  the  opposite  shore. 

Meantime  the  musketeers  arrived  at  the  quay,  where  two 
barges  being  in  readiness,  the  men  were  separated  into  equal  di- 
visions, and,  very  soon  after  sunrise,  were  embarked  under  the 
respective  charge  of  Dauntrees  and  the  Lieutenant,  who,  with  all 
expedition,  shaped  their  course  towards  the  islands  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river. 

Talbot  despatched  a  half  dozen  of  the  party  to  scour  the 
shore  of  the  Potomac  below  St.  Inigoe's  :  the  rest,  under  his  own 
command,  and  attended  by  Albert,  were  transported  to  the 
opposite  side  of  St.  Mary's  river,  by  every  boat  that  could  be 
mustei'ed  for  such  a  service  :  and  being  now  collected  on  the  fur- 
ther bank,  sprang  forward,  at  the  orders  of  their  leader,  on  their 
career  of  duty,  with  an  alacrity  which  showed  how  deeply  they 
took  to  heart  the  outrage  which  it  was  now  their  purpose  to 
chastise. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


She  turned  her  right  and  round  about, 
And  she  swore  by  the  mold,  • 

"  I  would  not  be  your  love,"  said  she, 
"For  that  church  full  of  gold." 

He  turned  him  right  and  round  about, 
And  he  swore  by  the  mass, 
Says — "  Lady,  ye  my  love  shall  be, 
And  gold  ye  shall  have  less." 

Old  Ballad. 


When  Cocklescraft  and  his  crew  had  again  doubled  the  point  of 
St.  Inigoe's,  on  their  retreat,  the  sail  of  the  yawl  was  spread  be> 
fore  the  breeze,  and  she  skimmed  the  waves  like  a  bird  of  the  sea. 
Blanche  had  yet  scarcely  shown  signs  of  animation,  except  in  the 
low  and  smothered  moan  that  escaped  from  beneath  the  folds  of 
the  cloak  which,  with  an  officious  care,  the  leader  of  the  pirate 
gang  had  disposed  for  the  protection  of  her  person  from  the  cold. 
Beside  her  crouched  the  housekeeper,  sobbing  and  sighing  and 
uttering  ejaculations  of  alarm — one  moment  for  her  own  fate — at 
the  next,  for  the  lot  of  her  young  lady, — and  at  intervals  shriek- 
ing with  a  causeless  terror,  as  the  little  back,  bending  to  the  wind, 
dipped  the  end  of  her  sail  into  the  wave. 

The  seamen,  now  released  from  the  oars,  were  called  to  the 
care  of  their  bleeding  comrades.  Roche  del  Carmine,  the  mate, 
was  already  dead,  and  the  other  writhed  in  the  torments  of  an 
unstaunched  wound.  The  band  were  too  familiar  with  the  acci 
dents  of  war  to  be  much  moved  by  the  fate  of  their  companions, 
17* 


394  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

and  accordingly,  after  applying  a  bandage  to  the  hurt  of  the 
living  man,  and  merely  disposing  the  body  of  the  dead  Qne  in  a 
position  least  inconvenient  to  themselves,  they  assumed  that  in- 
difference to  the  hazards  of  their  condition,  which  has  ever  been  a 
characteristic  trait  of  the  reckless  temper  engendered  by  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  buccaneer's  life. 

The  beams  of  the  sun  had  begun  to  bicker  on  the  face  of  the 
waters  when  the  fugitives  reached  the  island  of  St.  George's, 
the  first  of  those  few  scattered  islands  in  the  Potomac  which 
passed  under  the  general  name  of  the  Heron  Islands.  During 
this  brief  voyage,  Cocklescraft  had  in  vain  endeavored  to  soothe 
the  maiden  with  kind  words  and  protestations  that  no  harm 
should  befall  her.  He  took  her  cold  hand  and  it  quivered  in  his 
grasp  ;  and  when  he  released  it,  it  fell  lifeless  back  upon  her 
bosom  :  he  laid  his  palm  upon  her  brow,  and  a  clammy  moisture 
bespoke  the  agony  that  wrung  it. 

"Dame,"  he  said,  addressing  Mistress  Colclcale  ;  "you  are 
better  skilled  than  I,  in  these  woman  qualms, — look  to  your 
lady,  and  tell  me  of  what  she  may  stand  in  need.  You  shall 
take  her  presently  on  board  of  the  brigantine,  and  the  whole 
vessel,  if  she  require  it,  shall  be  given  up  to  her  comfort." 

"  She  stands  in  need  of  her  father's  house,"  replied  the  -dame, 
with  more  spirit  than  she  might  have  been  thought,  from  her 
previous  fright,  to  possess.  "  She  stands  in  need  of  friendly 
faces  and  kind  hearts  : — her  soul  is  bowed  down  by  misery.  She 
will  never  open  her  eyes  again,  never,  never — unless  it  be  to  look 
upon  the  friends  from  whom  you  have  stole  her.  Oh,  Master 
Cocklescraft — you  have  broken  bread  under  her  father's  roof, 
and  have  sat  in  the  warmth  of  his  fireside — his  old  eyes  have 
looked  kindly  upon  you,  and  he  has  spoken  words  of  welcome 
that  have  gone  to  your  heart  with  a  blessing  in  the  very  sound 
of  them  : — how  can  you  heap  torments  on  the  head  of  his  child  ? 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  395 

In  sorrow  and  wailing  have  you  borne  her  away,  and  she  will 
quickly  wither  in  your  hand  ; — you  have  stolen  a  flower  that  dies 
in  the  cropping.  And  oh,  her  gray-haired  father  ! — with  a 
broken  heart,  you  have  cast  him  down  to  the  tomb." 

"  By  St.  Mary,  woman,  but  I  honor,  love,  and  cherish  the 
maid  !"  returned  Cocklescraft.  "  Have  I  not  loved  her  long,  as 
never  father  loved  her;— thought  of  her  on  the  wide  waters  of 
the  ocean,  under  every  sun  ; — dreamed  of  her  night  after  night, 
in  many  a  weary  voyage  ; — borne  her  image  before  me  in  storm 
and  battle,  in  the  chase  and  in  the  flight,  beneath  the  stars  in  the 
dead  hour  of  midnight,  and  at  the  feast  at  high  noon  ?  Have 
I  not  made  honorable  petition  for  her,  from  her  father — 
and  been  refused  with  scorn  and  foul  insult  ?  And  have  I  not 
now,  at  last,  entrapped  her  as  gently  as  she  doth  the  winter  bird 
that  seeks  a  crumb  upon  her  window  sill  ?  By  my  faith,  fairly 
have  I  won  her,  and  proudly  will  I  wear  her,  dame  !  Her  father ! 
— I  owe  him  nothing  for  his  kindly  greeting  and  warm  fireside, 
and  breaking  of  bread  :  he  hath  paid  himself  by  his  disdain  and 
mockery  of  my  suit.  Have  I  not  there,"  he  added,  speaking 
with  an  angry  vehemence  and  pointing  towards  the  bow  of  the 
boat — "given  the  life-blood  of  two  of  my  best  and  bravest  com- 
rades to  the  old  man's  wrath, — and  yet  did  I  not  myself  turn 
aside  the  blow  that  would  have  laid  him  upon  the  floor  of  his  own 
hall  ?" 

"  Better  that  he  had  so  fallen,"  replied  the  dame,  "  than  live 
to  witness  what  his  old  eyes  saw  last  night.  Better  that  he  died 
outright,  than  live  to  lose  his  child." 

"  Be  silent,  woman,"  exclaimed  the  skipper,  "  if  thou  canst 
not  give  me  fairer  speech.  When  this  anger  is  gone,  and  the 
maiden  is  more  resigned,  I  will  speak  to  you — not  now.  To 
your  oars,  good  fellows,"  he  said  in  a  calmer  tone  to  the  seamen, 
as  with  the  rising  sun  the  breeze  had  fallen  away  and  the  sail 


396  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

flapped  loosely  against'the  mast.  "  We  must  pass  through  this 
narrow  strait  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  islands  : — we  shall  find 
the  brigantine  there  at  anchor." 

A  confined  channel,  scarce  above  a  pistol  shot  wide  from 
shore  to  shore,  divided  the  two  islands  immediately  across  the 
mouth  of  St.  Mary's  river,  and  afforded  a  passage  for  a  light 
boat  between.  These  islands,  thickly  timbered  to  the  water's 
edge,  effectually  prevented,  by  their  forest  screen,  the  voyager 
along  the  inner  shore  from  discerning  the  largest  vessel  which 
might  be  in  the  river  beyond.  It  was,  therefore,  with  undoubt- 
ing  confidence  in  the  certainty  of  finding  the  Escalfador  at  her 
appointed  ground,  that  the  leader  of  these  rude  Argonauts  com- 
manded his  men  to  labor  at  the  oar  whilst  they  shot  through  the 
strait  I  have  described. 

When  they  emerged  upon  the  open  river,  on  the  outer  side  of 
the  islands,  the  sun,  looming  through  the  thick  autumnal  haze, 
shot  his  fiery  beam  over  the  broad  sheet  of  water,  without  dis- 
closing to  the  anxiously-searching  eye  of  Cocklescraft  trace  of 
brig  or  boat  or  sail  of  any  kind.  His  vision,  however,  was  cir- 
cumscribed within  a  narrow  horizon  ; — for  the  mist  which,  at  this 
season,  broods  over  the  landscape — the  forerunner  of  a  genial 
day — scarce  brought  within  the  compass  of  his  observation  the 
nearer  points  of  the  mainland,  and  effectually  shut  out  all  more 
distant  objects  ;— a  circumstance  which,  however  embarrassing 
to  his  present  inspection,  had  so  far  been  favorable  to  his  escape 
from  the  prying  eye  of  the  sentinel  on  the  look-out  station  of  the 
Fort  of  St.  Mary's. 

"  Ha  ! — twice  have  I  been  fooled  by  that  old  dotard  of  St. 
Jerome's,"  he  peevishly  murmured,  when,  after  straining  his  sight 
in  every  direction,  he  became  aware  that  the  brigantine  was  no 
where  to  be  seen  ;  "he  has  overslept  himself,  or  given  way  to 
Borne  freak  of  his  devilish  temper.     Why  did  I  trust  a  laggard 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  39*] 

with  this  enterprise  ?  But  that  I  spoke  somewhat  hastily  to  him 
last  night,  and  would  not  have  his  displeasure,  I  would  have  seen 
him  gibbeted  e'er  I  would  have  given  the  brigantine  into  his 
charge.  Yet  he  is  trusty, — and  has  a  devil's  spice  in  him  that 
fits  him  for  such  an  outcome,  too.  He  will  be  here  anon  ; — the 
wind  has  left  him, — and  what  he  had,  was  in  his  teeth  :  the 
Escalfador  does  not  keep  pace  with  my  longings.  Patience  for 
a  season, — and  meantime  we  will  land  on  the  island,  comrades, 
and  wait  for  our  crippled  admiral." 

With  this  intimation  he  steered  directly  upon  the  beach. 
"  John  of  Brazil,"  he  continued,  "  use  your  time  to  scoop  a  grave 
for  our  comrade  Roche,  and  see  him  bestowed  as  suits  a  Brother 
of  the  Coast.  Joseph,  you  and  a  messmate  will  kindle  a  fire 
under  yonder  oak — these  women  are  frozen  into  a  dead  silence 
Harry  Skelton,  get  to  the  lower  end  of  the  island,  and  there  keep 
watch  upon  the  river,  and  report  every  thing  that  comes  in  sight. 
Now,  Mistress  Bridget,  you  and  our  lady  Blanche  shall  have 
sway  over  the  whole  island  ; — the  lady  shall  be  an  empress,  and 
you  her  maid  of  honor.  See,  how  quickly  preferment  comes  ! 
You  have  your  liberty,  pretty  Rose  of  St.  Mary's — so  cheer  up, 
and  make  a  fair  use  of  it." 

To  this  ill-timed  jocularity  the  maiden  yielded  no  reply  ;  and 
the  skipper  believing  that,  upon  being  left  alone  with  Mistress 
Colclcale,  she  would  perhaps  relent  into  a  more  tractable  tone  of 
feeling,  quitted  the  boat  with  the  seamen  who  had  gone  to  execute 
his  several  orders,  and  thus  abandoned  the  two  females  to  them- 
selves. 

"  Alack,  alack  !"  sobbed  Blanche,  as  she  raised  her  head  and 
then  dropped  it  on  the  lap  of  the  housekeeper  ;  "  clear  Bridget, 
what  will  become  of  us  ?  I  shall  die,  I  shall  die  ! — my  poor 
father  !" 

"  Poor  indeed,  mistress,"  replied  the  dame.     "  If  we  are  not 


898  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

rescue  I,  lie  will  never  hold  up  his  head  after  the  loss  of  his  child 
i 
Oh,  if  our  townspeople  would  but  follow, — as  I  trust  they  will  r 

"  Is  there  a  chance  of  it,"  exclaimed  Blanche,  "  good  Bridget, 
is  there  a  chance  of  it  ?" 

"Ay,  truly,  my  dear  young  lady, — good  and  reasonable  hope 
that  these  villains  have  been  watched  and  will  be  followed.  Be 
of  good  cheer,  and  trust  in  Heaven.  This  bloodhound  thought 
to  find  his  vessel  at  the  island,  but  the  saints  have  befriended  us, 
and  the  vessel  has  not  yet  come.  All  will  go  well,  mistress, — 
such  wicked  men  shall  not  prevail  against  the  shield  of  in- 
nocence." 

"  The  fire  blazes  cheerily,  Mistress  Coldcale — I  pray  you 
intreat  our  lady  to  come  ashore,"  called  out  Cocklescraft  from 
a  distance. 

"  Arouse  thee,  child,  I  shall  be  at  thy  side,"  said  the  dame  ; 
"  it  may  be  discreet  not  to  provoke  the  skipper — he  is  a  harsh 
man  and  may  be  rude,  if  we  be  stubborn." 

"  Mother  of  Grace,  sustain  me  !"  said  Blanche,  as  her  frame 
shook  from  head  to  foot,  and  she  grasped  the  arm  of  her  friendly 
attendant.  "  Even  as  you  shall  advise,  I  walk,  Bridget — I  pray 
you  hold  me,"  she  added,  as,  raising  herself  on  her  feet,  her 
loose  and  disordered  tresses  fell  over  her  wan  cheek  and  covered- 
her  breast  and  shoulders.  "  Oh,  God,  this  trial  will  craze  my 
brain  !" 

"  Do  not  sink,  dear  child — you  need  fire,  and  this  barbarous 
Captain  has  provided  it — pray  you,  be  of  stout  heart,  and  trust 
in  coming  help." 

Encouraged  by  the  support  of  her  companion,  Blanche  feebly 
tottered  towards  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  thence  landed  on  the 
beach.  Whilst  she  leaned  upon  Mistress  Coldcale's  arm  and  ad- 
vanced towards  the  fire,  Cocklescraft  came  forward  to  meet  her  ; 
and  as  he  was  about  to  address  her  in  that  tone  of  lio-ht  saluta- 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  399 

tion  in  which  he  had  heretofore  spoken,  he  was  arrested  in  his 
first  words,  by  the  maiden  flinging  herself  upon  her  knees,  imme- 
diately at  his  feet,  and  looking  up  in  his  face  with  her  eyes  be- 
dimmed  with  tears,  as  she  cried  out  for  mercy — 

"  Spare  me  !"  she  exclaimed — "  Oh,  spare  a  wretched  girl, 
who  has  never  imagined  thought,  nor  spoken  word  of  harm 
against  you.  Save  me  from  a  broken  heart  and  bewildered 
brain — from  misery,  ruin,  and  disgrace  !  If  I,  or  any  friend  of 
mine,  have  ever  given  you  offence,  on  my  knees  and  in  the  dust  I 
entreat  forgiveness : — pardon, — pardon  a  fault  whereof  I  have  ever 
been  unconscious.  If  one  touch  of  pity  dwell  in  your  bosom,  oh 
think  of  the  miserable  being  at  your  feet  and  send  her  back  to  her 
home.  Land  me  but  on  yonder  shore,  and  I  will,  morning  and 
evening,  remember  you  in  prayers  and  invoke  blessings  on  your 
head  !" 

"  This  posture  doth  not  become  our  queen,"  said  Cocklescraft, 
stooping  to  raise  the  maiden  to  her  feet,  who  shrinking  from  his 
touch  crouched  still  lower  to  the  earth.  "  This  is  but  a  foolish 
sorrow.  Do  I  not  love  you,  Blanche  ?  Ay,  by  the  Virgin  !  and 
mean  to  do  well  by  you.  I  have  stuffs  of  price  on  board  the 
Escalfador,  which  shall  trick  you  out  as  gloriously  as  a  queen  in- 
deed : — our  dame  here  shall  ply  her  skill  at  the  needle  to  set  you 
forth  quickly.  And  then  that  pretty  robe  of  crimson  and  mine- 
ver which  unthinkingly  you  did  refuse,  you  shall  wear  it  yet,  girl. 
I  have  chains  of  gold  and  jewels  rare,  to  make  you  gay  as 
gaudiest  flower  of  the  field.  I  will  bear  you  to  an  enchanted 
island,  where  slaves  shall  bend  before  you  to  do  your  bidding, 
and  where  you  shall  have  store  of  wealth  to  scatter  with  such 
profusion  as  in  dreams  you  have  never  even  fancied.  We  will 
abide  in  a  sea-girt  tower  upon  a  sunny  cliff,  and  through  your 
window  shall  the  breeze  from  the  beautiful,  blue  Atlantic  fan  you 
to  evening  slumbers.     My  gay  bark  shall  be  your  servant,  and 


400  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

ride,  at  your  command,  upon  the  wave  ;  whilst  our  merry  men 
shall  take  tribute  from  all  the  world,  that  you  may  go  braver  and 
more  daintily.  Cheer  up,  weeping  mistress  ;  your  mishap  is  not 
so  absolute  as  at  first  you  feared.     Your  hand,  lass  !" 

"Blanche  sprang  to  her  feet  with  a  sudden  energy,  and  retreat- 
ing a  pace  from  her  persecutor,  cast  upon  him  a  look  of  resolute 
and  indignant  pride  : 

"  Base  wretch,"  she  said,  "  I  dare  to  spurn  your  suit.  De- 
fenceless as  I  stand  here,  a  weak  and  captive  girl, — if  it  be  the 
last  word  I  have  to  utter, — I  abhor  you  and  your  loathsome 
offer."  Then  relapsing  into  that  tone  of  grief  from  which  this 
momentary  impulse  had  drawn  her,  she  added,  "Did  you  think— 
did  you  think,  Master  Cocklescraft,  when  you  stole  me  from  my 
father's  house,  that  fair  speech  from  you,  or  promise  of  gold, 
could  win  me  to  be  your  wife  ?  Oh,  sir,  if,  in  that  error,  you 
have  heaped  the  sin  of  this  deed  upon  your  soul,  quickly  learn 
that  not  all  the  gold  of  all  the  mines,  nor  longest  wooing,  nor 
promise  of  a  kingdom,  if  that  were  yours  to  give,  might  persuade 
me, — though  the  speaking  of  the  word  should  lift  me  from  abject 
misery  or  the  pangs  of  death, — to  give  a  favorable  word  to  your 
suit.  With  holy  faith  and  saddest  reverence,  I  call  my  guardian, 
the  ever-blessed  virgin  Therese,  to  hear  my  vow  ; — I  never  will 
be  thine." 

"  A  boat,  a  boat  !"  cried  out  the  voice  of  the  man  at  tin 
lower  point  of  the  island, — and  instantly  this  painful  interview 
was  at  an  end.  The  seamen  had  since  their  landing  been  busy  in 
depositing  the  body  of  the  mate  in  a  shallow  grave,  and  had  just 
set  up  a  wooden  cross,  of  fallen  timber,  chance-found  in  the  forest 
of  the  island,  to  mark  the  spot,  when  the  alarm  from  the  look-out 
reached  them.  Cocklescraft  repaired  with  all  haste  to  the 
1  teach,  and  was  soon  aware,  not  only  of  the  boat  to  which  the 
seaman  alluded,  but  also  of  a  secoud  of  the  same  description, 


ROB-   OF    THE     BOWL.  401 

dimly  seen  in  the  haze,  at  no  great  distance  behind  the  first. 
They  were  both  holding  their  course  towards  the  mouth  of  St. 
Mary's  river,  close  on  the  eastern  margin,  as  if  their  purpose  were 
to  proceed  down  the  Potomac.  St.  George's  Island  lay  abreast 
the  opposite  or  western  shore,  and  it  was  therefore  necessary 
for  these  boats,  if  they  were  destined  for  the  island,  to  take  a 
course  nearly  across  the  entire  breadth  of  the  river,  at  its  mouth. 
As,  at  the  moment  when  first  descried,  they  gave  no  indication 
of  such  a  purpose,  Cocklescraft  (who  did  not  doubt  that  these 
were  parties  in  pursuit  of  him)  began  to  assure  himself  that 'his 
retreat  to  the  island  was  not  discovered,  and  that  his  pursuers 
were  most  probably  bound  to  St.  Jerome's.  Again  he  cast  a 
troubled  eye  over  the  waters,  in  the  hope  to  perceive  the  brigan- 
tine,  for  which,  at  this  moment,  he  looked  with  increased  solici- 
tude, as  he  had  reason  to  apprehend  that,  on  her  voyage  up  the 
Potomac,  she  must  pass  the  boats  that  were  apparently  on  their 
voyage  downward.  For  some  time,  he  gazed  keenly  abroad  in 
silence,  or  muttering  only  inaudible  curses  on  the  delay  of  Rob 
with  the  Escalfador,  and  on  his  own  folly  in  committing  the 
vessel  to  The  Cripple's  guidance.  It  was  not  long  before  the  boats 
had  reached  the  Potomac.  Here,  instead  of  shaping  their  fur- 
ther voyage,  as  the  skipper  had  been  led  to  expect,  towards  the 
Chesapeake,  they  took  the  opposite  course  and  stood  directly  for 
the  island.  They  were  near  enough  to  make  it  apparent  to  Cock- 
lescraft that  each  was  filled  with  armed  men,  and  if  any  doubts 
of  their  hostile  purpose  had  existed  before,  it  now  became  alto- 
gether unquestionable.  Hastening  towards  the  spot  where  the 
yawl  was  drawn  up  on  the  strand,  the  buccaneer  ordered  his 
crew  immediately  to  their  posts.  Blanche  and  Mistress  Bridget 
were  forced  to  take  their  former  seats,  and  the  boat  being  shoved 
off,  was  directed  towards  the  point  of  land  opposite  the  western 
extremity  of  the  upper  island, — then  only  known  as  a  nameless 


4.02  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

.sandy  flat,  thinly  covered  with  pines,  but  of  late  rendered  some- 
what more  familiar  to  public  repute,  by  the  comfortable  accom- 
modation with  which  it  has  been  provided  as  a  place  of  refuge 
against  the  heats  of  summer,  and  for  the  luxury  of  its  bathing. 

"  By  St.  Iago,  we  are  hotly  followed  !"  said  the  retreating 
and  anxious  rover,  as  he  now  measured  the  size  of  the  barges 
with  his  eye,  whilst  they  shot  out  from  behind  the  cover  of  the 
extreme  eastern  point  of  the  islands  and  disclosed  themselves  in 
full  pursuit  ;  "  and  with  swift  craft,  well  manned.  The  devil 
hath  sent  us  a  dead  calm, — otherwise,  with  this  rag  of  canvass,  I 
would  show  these  lurchers  the  trick  of  a  sea-fight :  as  it  is,  we 
must  show  them  our  heels.  Oh,  that  my  good  brigantine  were 
here  !  I  would  defy  twenty  barges,  and  sweep  through  them  all. 
Lustily,  good  fellows  !  slacken  not  : — halter  and  harquebuss  are 
on  our  track  ;  we  die  by  hemp  or  leaden  bullet  if  we  are  over- 
taken— so  pull  amain.  You  have  been  in  as  great  straits  before 
and  found  a  lucky  ending.  We  shall  see  Rob  anon,  when  this 
mist  shall  lift  its  curtain  :  and,  once  in  sight  of  our  good  bark, 
we  shall  fight  our  way  to  her  side.     Courage,  friends  !" 

In  this  strain  of  exhortation,  Cocklescraft  spoke  at  intervals 
to  his  men,  whilst  anxiously  looking  to  the  rear  he  watched  the 
progress  of  his  pursuers  and  seemed  to  count  every  wave  that 
broke  against  their  bows.  Not  even  his  experienced  eye  could 
tell  which  of  the  struggling  rivals  in  this  race  had  the  swiftest 
keel.  So  intense  became  the  competition  that  soon  all  other 
cares  were  absorbed  in  the  engrossing  thought  of  the  escape. 
The  boat's  crew  fell  into  silence,  and  when  the  necessary  orders 
were  delivered  they  were  spoken  in  the  low  tone  of  familiar  con- 
versation, as  if  the  speakers  were  afraid  they  might  be  overheard 
by  the  enemy  in  their  wake.  If  the  concern  of  the  leader  and 
his  crew  in  their  present  condition  was  eager,  still  more  did  it 
awaken  the  feelings  of  Blanche  Warden  and  Mistress  Bridget. 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  40S 

The  maiden  seemed  to  have  forgotten  her  tears  ;  occupied  with 
a  more  absorbing  emotion  than  her  grief,  she  found  herself  reno- 
vated in  strength,  and  by  degrees  assuming  an  upright  posture  in 
the  boat,  whence,  with  an  ardent  and  unblenching  gaze,  she  kept 
her  eye  fixed  upon  the  barges  that  swept  along  as  messengers  of 
hope  to  her  deliverance. 

Some  three  or  four  miles  yet  lay  between  the  parties  in  the 
chase.  Cocklescraft  steered  towards  the  upper  headland  of  Piney 
Point — to  use  its  modern  designation — and  reaching  this,  found 
a  long  sweep  of  the  river  ahead  of  him,  bounded  by  a  smooth 
strand  unmarked  by  creek  or  inlet.  At  one  moment  he  thought 
of  running  for  the  Virginia  shore,  and  there,  by  doubling  back 
upon  his  pursuers,  aim  to  win  the  Capes  of  Potomac,  in  the  hope 
of  meeting  the  Escalfador  ;  but  he  could  no.t  count  sufficiently  on 
the  speed  of  his  boat  to  risk  so  dangerous  a  hazard. — 

"  If  I  can  but  keep  my  way  till  night,  I  shall  baffle  these 
hounds  upon  my  track,"  he  said,  in  pondering  over  the  emer- 
gency. "  A  weary  clay  it  is  before  me,  and  a  long  run  till  night. 
Perchance,  I  may  meet  some  stouter  craft'upon  the  watei*,  some 
up-river  trader,  whom  I  may  easily  master, — -and  once  on  a 
broader  deck,  I  will  fight  these  landsmen  with  all  their  odds 
against  me.  Or,  at  the  worst,- 1  shall  run  ashore,  if  I  am  pressed, 
and  take  to  the  thicket,  where  at  least,  till  day  be  clone,  I  may 
lie  concealed,. and  then  find  my  way  to  the  Chapel." 

In  this  perplexity  of  doubt  he  still  pursued  his  voyage.  The 
point  which  he  had  passed  momentarily  screened  him  from  the 
view  of  his  pursuers  ;  but  in  due  time  the  barges  were  again  seen 
across  the  white  sandy  flat,  looming  to  twice  their  natural  size, 
and  seemingly  suspended  in  the  air,  by  that  refraction  which,  in 
certain  conditions  of  the  atmosphere,  is  often  observed  upon  a 
low  shore. 

"They  come,  they  come — Heaven  be  praised,  they  gain  upon 


404  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

us  !"  involuntarily  ejaculated  Blanche,  as  she  rose  from  her  seat, 
and  gazed  across  the  extremity  of  the  point. 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  merry  queen,"  said  Cocklescraft,  for  the 
moment  attracted  by  the  lively  utterance  of  the  maiden  ;  "they 
do  not  gain  upon  us^mistress  :  you  will  learn  presently  that  they 
must  weather  the  point  by  that  same  circuit  which  you  may  see 
traced  by  our  wake.  Thou  wilt  be  a  better  sailor  anon.  Stead- 
ily, good  lads  !  do  not  overwork  yourselves  ;  we  shall  make  a 
long  run  of  it." 

"  Now,  for  some  miles,  the  chase  continued  with  little  dimi- 
nution of  the  space  between  the  parties.  At  length  it  began  to 
be  perceptible  that  the  barges  drew  nearer  to  the  object  of  their 
pursuit  :  the  shortened  stroke  of  the  oar  denoted  the  flagging 
strength  of  the  laboring  buccaneers,  whilst  the  unabated  vigor 
of  the  pursuers  showed  that  the  chase  was  urged  by  men  enured 
to  the  toil  of  rowing.  Still,  there  was  the  energy  of  desperate 
men  in  the  force  with  which  the  flying  band  held  on  their  way, 
and  Cocklescraft  did  not  yet  abandon  the  hope  of  wearying  down 
the  strength  of  those  from  whom  he  fled.  Another  hour,  and 
the  barges  still  crept  up  nearer  to  their  chase.  A  death-like 
stillness  prevailed  on  board  the  latter,  broken  only  by  the  mo- 
notonous dipping  of  the  oar  and  its  dull  jar  upon  the  boat,  as  the 
seaman,  with  unvarying  time,  turned  it  in  the  row-lock  and  re- 
peated his  stroke.  Still  nearer  eame  the  barges  and  nearer, 
with  fearful  certainty. 

"They  come  within  musket  shot!"  exclaimed  Cocklescraft. 
"To  the  land,  boys  !  we  must  even  fight  them  on  the  laud." 

"  Back  your  oars  !"  cried  out  Dauntrees,  from  the  leading 
barge  :  "  back,  and  lay  to  I"  At  the  same  moment  he  dis- 
charged a  musket,  of  which  the  bullet  was  seen  touching  the 
water,  in  short  leaps,  immediately  across  the  bow  of  the  pursued 
boat. 


ROB     OF    T  HE     BOWL. 


405 


A  scream  from  Bridget  Coldcale  was,  for  a  moment,  the 
only  answer  that  reached  the  ears  of  the  Captain. 

"To  your  feet,  mistress  !"  said  Cocklescraft,  as  seizing 
Blanche  by  the  arm  he  placed  her  erect  in  the  boat.  "  Fire  at 
your  peril  !"  was  the  reply  he  now  gave  to  the  accost  of  his 
enemy  ;  "  my  crew  sail  under  the  protection  of  the  Rose  of  St. 
Mary's.  Have  your  weapons  at  hand  !"  he  added,  addressing 
his  men  ;  "  we  must  e'en  leave  our  boat,  and  this  precious  freight 
to  these  land-rats,  and  take  to  the  wood.  You  cannot  call  me 
cruel,  pretty  maiden, — for  I  give  you  up,  in  pure  courtesy,  to 
your  friends.  You  will  remember  the  Master  of  the  Escalfador 
as  a  gallant  who  would  have  made  you  mistress  of  as  pretty  a 
dowry  as  ever  won  maiden's  good  will.  We  have  had  a  merry 
morning  of  it,  girl, — I  would  it  had  been  longer — but  these 
churls  behind  forbid  it :  so,  without  more  ceremony  in  the  leave- 
taking — for  I  must  needs  be  in  haste — fare  thee  well,  girl ! 
Even  without  asking  this  favor,  I  kiss  your  cheek.  To  the  shore, 
lads  !" 

As  he  spoke,  and  made  good  his  word  by  stooping  over  the 
maiden  and  enforcing  her  submissiont  o  this  parting  token  of  his 
gallantry,  the  boat  struck  the  sand,  and,  in  an  instant,  leader  and 
crew  had  sprung  into  the  shallow  water,  and  bounded  to  the 
shore,  leaving  but  their  wounded  comrade  and  the  maiden  with 
her  faithful  companion  on  board  of  the  boat.  A  volley  was  dis- 
charged from  the  nearest  barge  at  the  fugitives,  but  as  the  buc- 
caneer, apprehending  this,  had  given  such  a  direction  to  his 
retreat  as  to  keep  the  women  in  a  line  between  him  and  his 
enemy,  the  balls  were  thrown  wide  of  their  mark,  and  the  escap- 
ing crew  were  soon  out  of  sight  in  the  forest  that  covered  the 
shore. 

Upon  the  land  side  an  enterprise  was  afoot  of  almost  equal 
excitement  to  that  upon  the  water.     The  party  of  horsemen  that 


406  ROB     OF     THE     B  0  W  L . 

had  crossed  with  Colonel  Talbot  to  the  opposite  shore  of  St. 
.Mary's  river,  submitting  to  the  guidance  of  Arnold  de  la  Grange 
and  his  old  Indian  comrade,  were  conducted  along  a  path  which 
threaded  the  thickets  lying  around  the  head  of  an  inlet,  that  now 
bears  the  name  of  St.  George's,  and  thence  took  a  course  down 
the  peninsula  towards  Piney  Point.  Whilst  galloping  upon  the 
further  margin  of  the  inlet  by  which  the  eastern  side  of  the  pe- 
ninsula was  formed,  and  yet  two  miles  from  the  point,  they 
perceived  the  yawl  of  Cocklescraft  stretching  across  from  the 
islands  towards  the  main.  A  halt  was  immediately  called  by  the 
commander  of  the  party,  and  they  were  ordered  to  screen  them- 
selves and  their  horses  from  observation  amongst  the  wild  shrub- 
bery of  the  spot. 

"It  is  even  as  The  Cripple  of  St.  Jerome's  told  us,"  said 
Talbot.  "  This  is  the  boat  of  the  Olive  Branch  with  her  thiev- 
ing knaves.  -You  may  know  the  skipper,  Master  Yerheyden,  by 
his  flat  bonnet  and  scarlet  jacket.  See,  he  looks  sternward  and 
waves  his  hand  to  his  rowers  as  if  he  would  hasten  their  speed." 

"  And  I  see  the  forms  of  cowering  females  at  his  feet,"  added 
Albert.  "The  boat  makes  for  the  point.  A  blessing  on  the 
day  ! — these  marauders  design  to  land.  Oh,  happy  chance  that 
we  are  here  !  let  us  not  delay  to  set  upon  them." 

"  Hold,  Master  Secretary  !  be  not  too  eager,"  replied  the 
leader.  "  Think  you  they  will  land,  if  they  see  us  lying  at  lurch 
to  attack  them  ?  No,  no  !  our  honest  friend  of  the  Bowl  hath 
stolen  away  their  brigantine,  and  the  cheated  felons,  all  agaze  at 
their  mishap,  are  now  seeking  a  hiding  place  where  they  may 
abide  till  night,  and  then,  perchance,  repair  their  misfortune  by 
some  other  villainy.  We  should  mar  our  best  hope  if  they  but 
catch  a  glimpse  of  us.  So,  quiet,  gentlemen  ;  your  impatieuee 
shall  find  action  soon  enough  e'er  we  get  home  again.  Ah,  good 
luck,  friends !  see  how  bravely  sets  the  wind  of  our  fortune  ; 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  401 

yonder  comes  old  Jasper  Dauntrees,  like  a  trusty  comrade,  hoi 
in  chase,  with  his  barge  trimmed  to  the  nicety  of  an  arrow's 
feathering.  He  follows  close  in  the  wake  of  the  freebooter — 
and  at  his  heels,  by  my  faith,  there  opens  now,  from  behind  the 
point  of  the  island,  his  second  party.  Push  for  it,  old  friend  ! 
The  good  powers  cheer  thee  in  thy  race  !" 

"Master  Cocklescraft,"  said  Arnold,  "will  not  be  so  fool- 
hardy as  to  land  on  that  deep  sand  with  two  helpless  women  to 
take  care  of,  whilst  he  has  a  soldier  like  Captain  Dauntrees  to 
track  his  march." 

"  You  are  right,  Arnold,"  returned  Talbot,  after  watching 
the  leading  boat  for  a  space  ;  the  skipper  steers  wide  of  the 
beach,  and  means  to  make  a  run  of  it  up  the  river  :  he  is  already 
passing  by  the  point.  Gentlemen,  to  horse  again  !  we  will  get 
back  towards  the  highland  and  there  keep  even  speed  with  the 
chase,  and,  like  well  trained  hawks,  stoop  upon  our  quarry  in  the 
nick  of  time.  Beware  the  open  ground,  that  the  skipper  may  not 
see  us  on  the  heights." 

In  obedience  to  this  command,  the  party  set  out  quickly,  by 
a  retrograde  movement,  towards  the  upland,  which,  although 
somewhat  remote  from  the  river,  gave  them,  at  frequent  inter- 
vals, where  the  cleared  forest  allowed,  an  extensive  range  of 
river  view.  Having  gained  this  height,  they  traversed  it  in  a 
line  parallel  to  the  course  of  the  shore,  ever  directing  their 
anxious  eyes  to  the  fierce  contention  between  the  boats  for 
mastery  in  the  race.  Occasionally,  in  this  progress,  ravines  were 
to  be  passed,  a  piece  of  marshy  land  to  be  avoided,  or  an  open 
field,  which  might  expose  the  party  to  the  view  of  the  boatmen, 
to  be  shunned.  In  all  such  passages  of  the  journey,  the  services 
of  Pamesack  and  of  Arnold  de  la  Grange  contributed  greatly  to 
the  speed  with  which  this  scouting  company  were  enabled  to 
keep  pace  with  the  rapid  flight  of  the  boats.     With  deep  and 


408  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

intense  speculation  did  the  horsemen  watch  the  progress  of  the 
chase,  and  measure  the  distance  between  the  fugitives  and  their 
pursuers.  Albert  Verheyclen,  almost  counting  the  strokes  of  the 
skipper's  oars  as  their  wet  blades  flashed  the  sunbeams  upon  his 
sight,  rode  for  some  time  in  despairing  silence. 

"  He  loses  not  an  inch  !"  he  breathed  to  himself,  as  his 
thought  ran  upon  the  freebooter's  chance  of  evading  his  enemies  ; 
"  he  has  men  at  the  oar  used  to  the  sleight,  and  he  will  tire  down 
his  pursuers."  Again  he  gazed,  and  with  no  better  hope.  But 
when,  after  losing  sight  of  the  river  for  some  mile  or  two  whilst 
the  party  galloped  over  a  piece  of  wooded  low  ground,  he  came 
again  in  view  of  the  boats,  joy  beamed  from  every  feature  of  his 
face  as  he  exclaimed  to  his  companions,  "We  advance  upon  his 
flight  and  shorten  the  space  between  !  The  skipper  grows  weary 
of  his  labor  :  thanks  to  the  Captain  and  his  noble  comrades,  the 
day  begins  to  brighten  on  our  enterprise." 

"  We  will  halt  here,"  said  Talbot,  reining  up  his  steed  upon  a 
summit  which  commanded  a  near  view  of  that  region,  recognized 
at  the  present  day  as  Medley's  Neck  ;  "  the  game  is  nearly  run 
down — and  presently  will  come  our  time  to  speak  a  word  of  com- 
fort to  this  renegade  spoiler.  He  strains  for  yonder  point,  as  if 
there  he  meant  to  land.  By  Saint  Ignatius  !  it  is  a  wise  choice 
he  has  made.  We  have  him,  if  his  folly  be  so  bold  as  to  touch 
that  strand — we  have  him  in  a  trap.  He  comes — he  comes, 
driving  headlong  into  our  hands.     Follow  !" 

Without  waiting  to  marshal  his  troop,  and  even  without 
looking  behind,  Talbot  spurred  his  horse  to  a  gallop,  and  plunged 
into  the  forest  which  covered  the  lowland  even  down  to  the  river 
brink. 

As  Cocklescraft  and  his  band  deserted  their  boat  and  fled 
into  the  wood,  Dauntrees  with  the  barges  drove  rapidly  in  upon 
the  shore.     A  loud  huzza  from  his  men  announced  the  recapture 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  409 

of  the  maiden  and  Mistress  Bridget.  The  Captain  himself,  by 
the  aid  of  a  boat-hook,  made  a  spring  from  his'  barge  with  an 
agility  that  would  not  have  passed  unapplauded  even  at  an 
earlier  period  of  his  life,  and  was  the  first  to  board  the  skipper's 
abandoned  yawl. 

"  God  bless  thee,  gentle  damsel  !"  he  exclaimed  as  he  eagerly 
seized  Blanche  by  both  hands  and  almost  lifted  her  into  his  arms, 
whilst  the  maiden,  with  scarce  less  alacrity, — her  eyes  laughing 
through  the  big  drops  that  rolled  down  her  cheeks, — threw  her 
head  upon  his  breast,  and  sobbed  with  convulsive  joy — "  God 
bless  thee,  dear  Mistress  Blanche  !  we  will  make  your  father 
a  happy  man  again.  And  you,  old  sweetheart,  Bridget,  they 
would  have  stolen  you  away  I  By  my  troth,  that  Trojan  war 
and  rape  of  Helen  the  poets  tell  of,  was  but  a  scurvy  adven- 
ture compared  with  this  ! — Lieutenant,"  he  added,  almost  in  the 
same  breath,  leave  six  files  with  our  oarsmen  to  guard  the  boats  ; 
and  see  that  they  draw  off  from  the  shore  into  a  fathom  water, 
there  to  await  our  signal  when  we  return.  The  rest  of  the  men 
will  push  forward  on  the  track  of  the  runaways.  Follow,  com- 
rades ■  we  have  no  time  to  lose." 

As  the  Captain  spoke,  he  was  already  pushing  his  way  into 
the  wood,  on  the  footsteps  of  the  retreating  pirates,  at  the  head 
of  some  dozen  files  of  musketeers.  In  another  moment,  the  two 
females  were  left  alone  with  the  boats  and  their  appointed  guard. 

"  Spread  yourselves  across  the  neck,"  said  Arnold  de  la 
Grange,  as  with  a  small  division  of  the  horsemen  he  had  now 
reached  a  position  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the  Point. 
"  Pamesack,  creep  down  on  the  shore,  and  report  whatever  comes 
in  sight.  The  first  man  who  finds  the  enemy  will  discharge  his 
Brelock.     Scatter,  gentlemen,  scatter." 

This  little  party  of  scouts  were  at  the  next  moment  extending 
their  line  across  the  extremity  of  Medley's  Neck,  and  cautiously 
18 


410  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

drawing  towards  the  Point.  Some  distance  in  the  rear  was  to  be 
seen  Talbot  and  the  rest  of  the  horsemen  moving  at  a  walk,  in  a 
compact  body,  upon  the  trail  of  the  ranger's  advance,  and  silently 
awaiting  the  signal  by  which  they  were  to  be  guided  to  the 
quarter  where  their  attack  was  to  be  made.  After  a  short  period 
of  suspense,  the  report  of  a  carbine,  from  the  direction  taken  by 
Pamesack,  arrested  the  general  attention,  and,  on  the  instant, 
Albert,  with  three  or  four  companions,  set  off  at  high  speed 
towards  the  spot.  On  reaching  the  margin  of  the  little  bay 
which  formed  one  confine  of  the  neck  of  land,  he  discovered, 
advancing  at  a  quick  pace,  though  yet  some  distance  off,  the 
handful  of  men  whom  the  wild  adventure  of  the  skipper  had 
brought  into  these  desperate  circumstances.  They  were  in  close 
array,  armed  with  pikes,  and  led  forward  by  their  reckless  cap- 
tain. The  confidence  with  which  they  hurried  upon  their  march 
seemed  to  indicate  an  unconsciousness  of  any  foe  except  the  party 
in  their  rear.  This  conviction  was  now  instantly  changed,  as 
they  became  aware  of  the  presence  of  Verheyden  and  his  friends. 
Staggered  by  this  unexpected  disclosure,  they  were  observed  to 
halt  for  a  moment,  as  if  to  receive  some  counsel  from  their  chief, 
and  then  to  advance  with  a  steadiness  that  indicated  prompt  and 
desperate  resolve.  Their  ranks  were  formed  with  more  precision  ; 
their  pace  gradually  quickened,  and  they  came  nearer  to  their 
enemy  ;  and  having  approached  so  near  as  to  enable  cither  side 
to  hear  the  command  of  the  other,  Albert  could  distinctly  recog- 
nize the  voice  of  Cocklescraft  exhorting  them  to  the  onset.  In 
another  moment,  they  set  up  the  war-cry  which  they  had  learned 
from  the  Spaniards  of  the  Gulf,  and  which  had  grown  to  be  their 
own,  from  the  recollections  of  the  bloody  frays  with  which  it  was 
associated — "  A  la  savanna,  perros  ! — to  the  field,  dogs  !" — and 
thus  shouting,  anticipated  the  attack  of  their  enemies  by  them- 
selves striking  the  first  blow. 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  4  H 

Talbot  had  delayed  to  follow  Verheyden,  only  until  he  could 
assure  himself  that  the  signal  shot  truly  announced  the  presence 
of  Cocklescraft's  party.  This  was  rendered  certain  by  a  mes- 
senger who  rode  back  to  report  the  fact,  and,  without  loss  of 
time,  the  commander  of  the  troop  repaired  to  the  scene  of  the 
assault.  The  pirates  had  already  forced  the  little  party  of  horse- 
men to  give  ground,  when  Talbot  reached  the  spot. 

"  Upon  them,  gentlemen,"  he  cried  aloud,  without  halting  to 
form  his  men  ;  and,  in  an  instant,  was  seen  opening  his  way 
through  the  pikes  of  the  buccaneers  with  his  sword.  Albert 
Yerheyden,  leading  on  the  little  band  of  untrained  cavalry,  fol- 
lowed with  impetuous  haste  in  the  track  of  his  commander.  The 
compact  array  of  the  pirates  being  broken,  a  confused  pell-mell 
fight  ensued,  with  sword,  pike  and  pistol,  which  was  marked  by 
various  success.  Two  or  throe  of  the  horsemen  wei'e  thrown  to 
the  ground,  and  as  many  of  the  seamen  slain.  Albert's  horse  was 
killed  by  a  pistol  shot,  and  the  rider  for  a  moment  was  brought 
into  imminent  peril.  Cocklescraft,  animated  as  much  by  revenge, 
as  by  a  determination  to  sell  his  life  at  a  dear  price,  no  sooner 
perceived  the  prostrate  Secretary  than  he  sprang  upon  him,  and 
would  have  done  the  work  of  death,  if  Arnold  de  la  Grange,  who 
had  followed  Albert's  footsteps  through  the  fray,  had  not  thrown 
himself  from  his  horse  and  rushed  to  his  comrade's  rescue.  He 
arrived  in  time  to  avert  the  stroke  of  the  skipper's  sword,  by 
interposing  his  carbine,  and,  at  the  same  moment,  seized  Cockles- 
craft  by  the  shoulder  and  dragged  him  backward  to  the  earth. 
The  active  seaman  was,  in  an  instant,  again  upon  his  feet,  but 
before  he  could  renew  the  fight  with  effect,  he  found  himself 
overwhelmed  by  the  musketeers,  whose  unobserved  approach 
now  put  an  end  to  the  struggle. 

"  Hands  off !"  exclaimed  Cocklescraft,  shaking- from  him  some 
two  or  three  assailants,  who  had  now  crowded  upon  him,  as  the 


412  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

blood  of  a  recent  wound  over  the  eye  trickled  down  his  cheek  ; 
"  hemmed  in  and  overnumbered,  I  surrender  : — you  may  do  with 
me  as  you  will — I  ask  no  favors  at  yoar  hands."  And  saying 
this,  he  flung  his  sword,  with  a  moody  and  sullen  anger,  upon  the 
ground.  "  A  fairer  field  on  land  or  water,  and  by  St.  Iago  !  we 
would  have  disputed  it  with  you  till  set  of  sun.  We  came  not 
prepared  for  this  fight — we  have  neither  arms  nor  ammunition  to 
cope  with  an  equal  force  much  less  with  the  swarm  that  you  have 
brought  on  horse  and  foot  against  this  little  boat's  crew.  Take 
your  victory  and  make  the  best  of  it  !" 

"  Silence  !"  said  Dauntrees  with  the  habitual  calmness  of  an 
old  soldier  :  "  Call  your  men  to  the  foot  of  yonder  tree,  or  I  may 
prick  them  thither  with  a  halbert." 

Under  a  chestnut  hard  by,  the  remnant  of  the  buccaneers, 
amounting  to  not  more  than  seven  men  beside  their  leader,  were 
assembled.  Some  of  them  bore  the  marks  of  the  severity  of  the 
conflict  in  wounds  upon  their  persons.  Three  of  the  skipper's 
men  were  found  dead  upon  the  field.  Their  opponents  had 
escaped  with  better  fortune.  Two  only  were  found  severely, 
though,  it  was  believed,  not  mortally  wounded  ; — a  few  others 
slightly.  A  guard  was  detailed  to  conduct  the  prisoners  to 
the  boat  ;  the  dead  were  hastily  buried  in  the  wood,  and  the 
wounded  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  their  comrades  to  the  point 
of  embarcation. 

It  was  already  afternoon  when  victors  and  vanquished  were 
bestowed  in  due  order  in  the  boats.  The  horsemen  had  by  this 
time  set  forward  on  their  homeward  journey,  eager  to  report  the 
good  tidings  of  the  day.  The  captured  yawl,  manned  with  a 
proper  complement  of  rowers,  was  consigned  to  the  maiden  and 
her  faithful  Bridget,  attended  by  the  Secretary  and  Captain 
Dauntrees — the  former  of  whom,  we  may  imagine,  had  many 
things  to  say  to  the  maiden,  which,  however  agreeable  to  the 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  418 

narrator,  would   make    but   dull   entertainment   on   our  pages. 

All  matters  beiug  now  disposed  for  sailing,  the  squadron  of 
boats,  led  by  the  yawl,  put  off  in  order  from  the  shore,  and,  with 
moderate  speed,  bent  their  course  towards  the  anxious  little  city. 

Befoi'e  sundown  the  maiden  was  placed  in  her  father's  longing 
arms  on  the  little  wharf  of  the  Rose  Croft,  and,  in  due  time,  the 
prisoners  were  marched  through  a  crowd  of  gaping  townspeople 
into  the  fort  of  St.  Mary's. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


No  more  the  slave  of  human  pride, 

Vain  hope  and  sordid  care, 
I  meekly  vowed  to  spend  my  life 

In  penitence  and  prayer. 

The  Hermit  of  Warkwortii. 


Oh  were  I  free,  as  I  have  been, 

And  my  ship  swimming  once  more  on  the  sea, 
I'd  turn  my  face  to  fair  .England, 

And  sail  no  more  to  a  strange  country. 

Old  Ballad. 


During  the  day  occupied  by  the  events  narrated  in  the  !ast 
chapter,  The  Cripple  of  St.  Jerome's  remained  in  the  dwelling 
of  Father  Pierre.  His  misanthropy  had  relaxed  into  a  kinder 
tone,  and  contrition  had  spread  a  sadness  over  his  mind.  In 
this  temper  he  had  made  his  shrift,  and  abjured  the  lawless  ltfe 
and  evil  fellowship  into  which  his  passions  had  plunged  him,  and 
now  offered  up  a  sincere  and  needful  vow  of  penitence,  to  which 
he  was  resolved  to  devote  the  scant  remainder  of  his  days.  The 
good  priest  did  not  fail  to  encourage  the  convertite  in  his  whole- 
some purpose,  nor  to  aid  him  with  such  ghostly  counsel  as  was 
likely  to  strengthen  his  resolution.  At  the  period  of  life  to 
which  The  Cripple  had  attained,  it  is  no  difficult  task  to  impress 
upon  the  mind  the  value  of  such  a  resolution.  When  age  and 
satiety  have  destroyed  the  sense  of  worldly  pleasure,  the  soul 
finds  a  nourishment  in  the  consolations  of  religion,  to  which  it 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  415 

flies  with  but  slight  persuasion  ;  and  however  volatile  and  self- 
dependent  youth  may  deride  it,  the  aged  are  faithful  witnesses  tc 
the  truth,  that  in  the  Christian  faith  there  is  a  spell  to  restore 
the  green  to  the  withered  vegetation  of  the  heart,  even  as  the 
latter  rain  renovates  the  pastures  of  autumn. 

The  Proprietary  had  directed  the  brigantine  to  be  brought 
from  Mattapany  to  St.  Mary's,  and  she  had,  in  consequence, 
been  anchored  in  the  harbor,  a  short  distance  from  the  quay, 
before  Dauntrees  had  returned  from  his  late  expedition  :  the  men 
left  by  Cocklescraft  to  navigate  her  were  held  on  board  as  pris- 
oners, under  a  small  guard  from  the  Mattapany  Fort.  The  pro- 
vincial court,  the  chief  judicial  authority  of  the  government,  had 
assembled  on  the  same  day,  with  the  intention  to  continue  its 
sessions,  until  the  cases  of  the  conspirators  were  disposed  of. 
The  sitting  of  this  court  had  attracted,  from  all  quarters  of  the 
province,  an  unusually  large  crowd  of  attendants  ;  and  the  town 
was  accordingly  filled  with  farmers,  planters  and  craftsmen  from 
the  interior,  who,  in  character  of  suitors,  witnesses,  men  of  busi- 
ness, or  mere  seekers  of  news,  occupied  every  place  of  public  ac- 
commodation. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  at  the  close  of  the  day  to  which 
we  have  referred.  The  faction  adverse  to  the  Proprietary,  not- 
withstanding the  vigilance  with  wrhich  they  were  watched,  still 
found  means  for  private  conference.  A  few  of  the  principal  men 
who  had  not  yet  fallen  under  the  suspicion  of  the  public  authori- 
ties, assembled  in  familiar  guise  under  the  roof  of  Chiseldine,  and 
there  consulted  upon  their  affairs.  The  hope  of  rescuing  Fendall 
and  his  companions  by  force,  although  somewhat  depressed  by 
recent  events,  was  not  abandoned.  There  were  some  sufficiently 
bold  still  to  encourage  this  enterprise,  and  they  spoke  confidently 
of  the  assistance  of  friends,  now  in  the  port,  who  were  anxious  to 
bring  about  an  immediate  conflict  with  the  Proprietary.     It  was 


416  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

deemed  essential  to  the  success  of  this  attempt  that  the  Olive 
Branch  should  be  got  into  the  possession  of  the  conspirators  : 
without  the  aid  of  the  brigantine,  neither  the  escape  of  the  pris- 
oners, nor  the  assistance  of  their  confederates  on  the  opposite 
shore  of  the  Potomac  could  be  relied  on,  even  if  all  the  other 
chances  turned  up  favorably  to  the  design. 

These  topics  were  duly  debated  in  conclave,  and  the  result 
was  a  determination  to  leave  the  enterprise  in  the  hands  of  those 
who  had  projected  it,  either  to  be  pursued  or  abandoned  as  the 
means  at  their  command  might  counsel.  With  this  conclusion 
the  restless  spirits,  who  had  met  at  Chiseldine's,  retired  to 
organize  their  plans  amongst  their  kindred  malcontents  through- 
out the  town. 

On  the  following  morning  when  the  hour  for  commencing 
business  drew  nigh,  an  unwonted  throng  of  customers  frequented 
the  tap-room  of  the  Crow  and  Archer.  There  was  but  little  of 
that  cheerfulness  which  usually  characterizes  such  a  resort :  the 
occupants  of  the  place  seemed  to  be  chiefly  engaged  with  matters 
that  rendered  them  thoughtful,  and  their  conferences  were  held 
in  under  tones  ;  many  loitered  through  the  room  in  silence  ;  and 
it  was  manifest  that  the  aspect  of  public  affairs  had  impressed  all 
with  a  sense  of  the  weightiness  of  the  issues  which  were  pending. 
The  concourse  was  no  less  conspicuous  upon  the  quay.  Here 
little  knots  of  burghers  and  inland  inhabitants,  sorted  according 
to  the  complexion  of  their  political  sentiments,  whether  of 
hostility  or  attachment  to  the  Proprietary,  were  scattered  about 
in  quiet  communings,  and  exchanging  distrustful  and  hostile 
glances  as  they  came  within  the  sphere  of  each  other's  observa- 
tion. The  yawl  of  the  skipper  lay  secured  to  the  wharf,  and  the 
Escalfador,  scarce  a  cable's  length  out  in  the  stream,  was  near 
enough  to  present  to  the  view  of  the  townspeople  the  sentinels 
that  paced  her  deck,  and  kept  guard  over  the  remnant  of  the 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 


ill 


pirate  band,  who  were  yet  detained  on  board  until  their  presence 
might  be  required  by  the  authorities. 

The  arrival  of  Lord  Baltimore  at  the  Town  House,  attended 
by  Albert  Verheyden  and  the  greater  number  of  the  members  of 
tiie  council,  as  it  indicated  his  Lordship's  intention  to  examine 
the  prisoners  in  person,  served  to  increase  the  public  interest  in 
the  events  of  the  day,  and  to  draw  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
crowd  into  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  Hall  of  Justice. 
The  Proprietary,  with  his  friends,  took  possession  of  a  chamber 
opposite  to  that  occupied  by  the  court,  where  they  were  soon 
joined  by  the  sturdy  old  Collector,  who,  with  an  erect  and 
vigorous  carriage,  and  a  face  flushed  with  mingled  resentment 
and  pride  of  manhood  aroused  by  the  recent  events,  rode  up  to 
the  door  and  alighted  amidst  the  salutations  of  his  townsmen  and 
the  clamorous  expressions  of  their  joy  at  the  good  fortune  which 
had  restored  him  his  daughter.  A  brief  interval  brought  Father 
Pierre,  conducting  Rob  of  the  Bowl,  to  the  same  spot,  and  by 
order  of  the  Proprietary  they  were  both  admitted  into  the 
chamber. 

The  prisoners  had  not  yet  arrived.  In  the  mean  time  the 
council  were  occupied  with  such  inquiries  as  the  presence  of 
Albert  Verheyden  suggested.  The  appearance  and  demeanor  of 
The  Cripple  of  St.  Jerome's,  engrossed  the  chief  interest  of  the 
assembly.  His  age,  his  deformity,  his  singularly  harsh  and 
shrewd  features,  the  extraordinary  mystery  of  his  life,  his  connec- 
tion with  the  ruffians  of  the  Chapel,  his  apparent  contrition, 
amounting  to  melancholy, — above  all,  his  presence  in  this  con- 
clave, amongst  persons  with  whom  he  had  never  before  exchanged 
a  word,  were  circumstances  of  a  nature  to  throw  around  him  the 
eager  regard  of  the  bystanders.  There  was  a  peculiarly  subdued 
and  sorrowful  expression  in  his  countenance,  as  he  gazed  with 
silent  intensity  upon  the  features  of  Albert  Verheyden  and 
18* 


418  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

listened  to  his  story  of  the  disasters  of  that  night  of  horrors  in 
Which  Rob  had  first  become  acquainted  Avith  him.  The  old  man's 
lip  quivered  and  his  eye  glistened  with  a  tear,  as  he  dwelt  upon 
the  tones  of  the  Secretary's  voice,  and  watched  the  changes  of 
his  countenance.  At  length,  whilst  the  Secretary  still  continued 
his  eventful  narrative,  unable  longer  to  control  his  feelings  or 
restrain  his  eagerness  to  catch  every  word  that  fell  from  Albert's 
lips,  he  heaved  an  involuntary  but  deep  sigh,  and  muttered,  loud 
enough  to  be  heard  by  every  one  in  the  apartment — "  Oh.  God, 
I  have  been  reserved  for  this  deed  ! — in  mercy  have  I  been 
spared  to  save  his  life."  After  a  pause,  he  added  in  a  voice  of 
loud  and  fervent  entreaty — "  I  pray  you,  gentlemen,  raise  me  to 
the  table  that  I  may  look  him  nearer  in  the  face  : — my  eyes  are 
old  and  dim"  he  continued,  wiping  away  the  tear  with  his  hand, — 
"  this  seared  and  maimed  trunk  holds  me  too  near  the  earth  ; — 
it  hath  placed  me  below  my  fellow-man  and  taught  my  spirit  to 
grovel — to  grovel,"  he  repeated'with  a  bitter  emphasis — "in  the 
very  mire  of  the  basest  fellowship. — Lift  me  on  the  table,  I' 
beseech  you. — I  have  saved  his  life  ! — the  saints  be  thanked, 
I  have  saved  his  life  !"  he  uttered  with  a  wild  gesticulation. 
"  Albert,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  save  it  with  loss  of  my 
own  ! — I  had,  boy  !" 

The  strange  frenzy  that  for  the  time  seemed  to  possess  the 
deformed  old  man,  the  wild  glance  of  his  eye  and  the  nervous 
tone,  almost  of  raving  laughter,  with  which  he  ejaculated 
these  last  words, -gave  rise  to  an  instant  doubt  of  the  sanity 
of  his  mind  ;  but  in  a  moment  he  subsided  into  a  calmer  state, 
and  resumed  his  original  self-command. 

Upon  a  sign  from  the  Proprietary  his  request  was  complied 
with,  and  he  was  lifted  upon  the  table  that  occupied  the  middle 
of  the  room. 

"  Go  on,  boy,"  he  continued,  as  soon  as  he  was  adjusted  in 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  419 

this  position  ;  then  suddenly  checking  himself  for  the  familiarity 
of  the  address,  "  I  crave  pardon — I  forget — Master  Verhey- 
den,"  he  added,  choking  with  the  utterance  of  the  name,  as  now 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  Secretary  he  still  more  narrowly  gazed 
upon  his  face — "  I  pray  thee,  go  on  !" 

When  the  Secretary  had  concluded  his  narrative,  a  deep 
silence  prevailed  throughout  the  room,  and  all  eyes  were  bent 
upon  The  Cripple,  in  expectation  that  he  had  something  to  dis- 
close which  all  were  anxious  to  hear.  He,  however,  remained 
mute,  still  fixing  his  gaze  upon  Albert  ;  and  when  the  Secretary 
casually  turned  his  back  upon  him,  he  reached  forth  his  hand  and 
caught  the  skirt  of  the  young  man's  cloak,  with  an  evidently 
unconscious  motion,  as  if  he  sought  by  this  constraint  to  prevent 
the  Secretary  from  leaving  him. 

The  Proprietary  at  length,  as  much  struck  with  the  deport- 
ment of  The  Cripple  as  the  rest  who  witnessed  it,  and  hoping  to 
draw  from  him  some  history  of  himself,  addressed  him  in  a  tone  in 
which  the  severity  of  rebuke  seemed  to  have  been  softened  by 
the  anxious  interest  he  took  in  the  endeavor  to  learn  more  of  the 
singular  person  to  whom  he  spoke.  It  was  therefore  with  a 
grave,  though  scarcely  stern  manner  that  Lord  Baltimore  ac- 
costed him  : 

"  Master  Robert  Swale,"  he  said,  "the  Secretary's  narrative 
which  we  have  just  heard  has  a  dreadful  import ;  nor  is  it  colored 
by  a  distempered  fancy.  We  are  all  witnesses  to  facts  connected 
with  this  fearful  tale,  that  leave  no  room  to  doubt  the  scrupulous 
truth  of  all  that  has  been  told " 

"True — in  every  syllable,  true  !"  interrupted  Rob,  with  quick 
assent.     "  As  God  shall  judge  us,  it  is  all  true." 

"It  is  a  tale,"  continued  the  Proprietary,  "  fraught  with 
crimes  of  ruthless  men,  who,  we  find,  have  lived  in  near  com- 
panionship with  you.     Long  has  the  province  been  frightened 


420  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

with  stories  of  wicked  rites  celebrated  in  the  Black  Chapel, — as 
otar  people  have  been  taught  to  call  that  accursed  house.  The 
common  terror  could  solve  the  mystery  only  by  referring  it  to  the 
acts  of  the  Fiend,  and  it  lias  ascribed  to  you  some  fearful  inter 
course  with  evil  spirits." 

"  It  hath — it  hath,  and  with  reason  !  mea  culpa,  mea  culpa, 
mea  maxima  culpa  !"  muttered  Rqb,  as  he  vehemently  struck  his 
bosom  with  his  open  palm. 

"  More  sober  eyes  have  seen  in  your  sequestered  life  and  rare 
communion  with  your  fellow-men,  but  the  evidences  of  a  mind, 
soured  by  adversity — a  mind,  it  would  seem,  not  so  humbly  cast 
as  your  condition  might  infer,  but  stricken,  as  the  common  belief 
has  signified,  by  some  heavy  blow  of  fortune." 

A  stifled  groan  spoke  the  listener's  apprehension  of  the  Pro> 
prietary's  words. 

"All  have  been  deceived  :  you  have  not  lived  that  secluded 
life  which  in  charity  many  have  imputed  to  you.  No  sorcery  nor 
witchcraft  hath  wrought  these  terrors,  but  the  trickery  of  lawless 
ruffians  ;  and  what  was  deemed  your  solitude,  it  is  now  confessed, 
was  active  and  commanding  fellowship  in  this  den  of  robbers/ 
Thou  art  too  far  journeyed  in  the  vale  of  years  to  be  reproved, 
even  if  time,  which  seldom  fails  to  do  his  office,  had  not  already 
been  the  avenger  of  the  past.  Your  interposition  in  behalf  of 
the  Secretary's  life,  your  removal  of  the'  brigantine  and  prompt 
repairing  hither,  as  well  as  rumors,  which  I  trust  are  true,  of 
clear  shrift  and  penitential  vow,  announce  an  honest  though  a 
late  purpose  of  amendment.  We  think  you  owe  it  now  to  the 
consummation  of  this  good  purpose,  that  you  divulge  all  it  con- 
cerns us  to  know  of  that  wicked  haunt,  the  Wizard's  Chapel,  the 
scene  of  so  much  grief  and  crime,  and  of  its  inmates.  Speak 
freely,  eld  man." 

'' My  Lord,"  answered  Rob,  with  a  calm  though  somewhat 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  421 

tremulous  voice,  "  the  story  of  my  life  I  have  confided  to  this 
holy  man.  Until  my  sand  is  run — would  that  its  stream  were 
spent ! — that  story  lies  in  his  bosom  under  the  seal  of  the  confes- 
sional. I  dare  not  again  rehearse  it  : — when  I  am  gone  he  will 
tell  it.  It  will  be  heard  with  cui'ses  by  many — I  deserve  them  ; 
— but  if  a  life  clouded  by  disgrace  and  stung  with  misery  may 
atone  for  a  deed  of  passion,  I  pray,  with  an  humble  spirit,  that 
my  story  may  raise  one  voice  of  pity. — But  it  doth  not  concern 
us  to  speak  of  this,"  he  said,  as  in  deep  emotion  he  paused  for 
some  moments  with  his  hand  closely  pressed  across  his  eyes — 
"  these  are  unaccustomed  tears,  my  Lord, — I  have  not  wept 
before  to-day  this  many  a  long  year. 

"  What  concerns  my  coming  to  the  province,  the  life  I  have 
led  here,  and  the  history  of  the  Black  House,"  he  resumed  after 
an  interval  in  which  he  had  regained  his  composure — "of  these, 
I  have  no  scruple  to  speak.  Sixteen  years  ago,  my  Lord,  I 
sailed  from  a  port  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  with  some 
little  store  of  wealth,  consisting  chiefly  of  jewels.  My  destination 
was  the  islands  :  my  name  was  hidden  from  the  world,  and  I  had 
hoped  to  hide  myself.  Disasters  at  sea  drove  us  upon  this  coast, 
where,  in  a  winter's  storm,  such  as  I  have  never  known  but  that, 
our  ship  was  wrecked.  I  know  not  who  survived — I  only  know 
that  it  pleased  Heaven,  for  my  sins,  to  prolong  a  life  that  I  could 
have  better  parted  with  than  any  who  found  their  grave  beneath 
the  waters.  I  chanced  to  save  the  larger  portion  of  my  valua- 
bles, and,  on  a  raft  of  floating  spars,  was  drifted  into  the  Chesa- 
peake, where  a  fisherman  took  me  up  almost  lifeless,  famished 
and  starved  with  cold.  He  put  me  down  at  St.  Jerome's — I  had 
no  wish  to  face  my  fellow-men, — and,  for  such  hire  as  I  gave  him, 
provided  me  with  comforts,  the  scant  comforts  my  condition 
needed  in  that  forsaken  house,  which  then  was  terrible,  as  it 
nath  been  since — the  house  where  Paul  Kelpy  murdered  his  own 


4-22  nOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

family.  There,  my  Lord,  I  lived  a  solitary  lodger,  with  no 
■attendant  near  me  except  an  aged  woman,  who  afterwards  aban- 
doned me  and  took  up  her  habitation  at  Warrington  on  the 
Cliffs  : — she  hath  of  late  again  returned.  That  winter  passed 
away  in  suffering — ay,  to  the  full  measure  of  my  deserts — and 
when  spring  came,  my  frosted  limbs  had  rotted  off,  and  I  lay  on 
my  pallet  that  wretched,  deformed,  and  unsightly  thing  thou 
r  est  me  now.  There,  for  many  weary  years,  I  dwelt,  a  man  of 
sin  and  misery.  Use  made  my  state  familiar,  and  I  began  to 
think  that  my  penance  would,  at  last,  restore  my  peace  of 
mind.  In  this  lone  spot,  from  which  all  the  world  turned  away 
with  shuddering,  I  did  not  dream  that  worldly  passions  could 
again  be  awakened.  But  it  so  fell  out  that,  four  years  ago, 
a  band  of  buccaneers  in  a  trim  brigantine,  led  by  this  ravening 
wolf  Cocklescraft,  tempted  their  fortune  in  these  waters.  They 
came  in  the  disguise  of  traders,  pitched  upon  the  Chapel  as  their 
lurking  place,  won  me  to  their  purpose  of  unlawful  commerce, 
and  drove  their  craft  with  such  success  as  you,  my  Lord,  have 
seen.  I  consorted  with  them,  first  because  they  were  outlawed 
men,  and  in  that  thought  I  took  pleasure  ; — there  was  sympathy, 
the  food  for  which  my  heart  was  hungered.  They  built  me 
a  lodge,  and  came  and  went  as  my  familiar  guests — and  I  made 
money  by  them.  Can  you  wonder,  my  Lord,  that  I  became 
their  comrade  ?  they  made  me  their  chief — I  had  their  secret, — 
they  gave  me  friendship, — and  they  brought  me  that  devil's  lure, 
gold — gold  more  than  I  had  ever  known  before.  Can  you  won- 
der, my  Lord,  that  I  became  their  companion  ?  The  treasures 
of  the  Chapel  needed  guarding  from  curious  eyes.  I  made  the 
spot  to  be  doubly  desecrated — we  had  visors,  masks,  and  strange 
disguises.  I  had  the  skill  to  compound  chemical  fires  :  we  had 
sentinels  on  the  watch,  and  plied  our  game  of  witchcraft  seasona- 
bly, till  the  whole  country  was  filled  with  alarm " 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  428 

At  this  moment,  some  tumult  from  without  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  inmates  of  the  chamber,  and  interrupted  the 
further  narrative  of  The  Cripple. 

At  a  distance,  in  the  direction  of  the  fort,  was  seen  a  guard 
of  some  ten  or  twelve  musketeers  advancing-  along  the  principal 
street  of  the  city,  led  by  Captain  Dauntrees  in  person,  and  form- 
ing an  escort  to  Cocklescraft  and  the  prisoners  who  had  been 
captured  with  him.  Their  progress  Avas  impeded  by  the  crowd 
that  thronged  upon  their  path,  amongst  whom  were  some  who 
scarcely  attempted  to  conceal  their  sympathy  with  the  prisoners, 
and  who,  by  signs,  if  not  by  words,  cheered  them  with  the 
hope  of  deliverance  from  their  present  durance.  Nods  of  recog- 
nition were  exchanged  with  Cocklescraft,  and  significant  ges- 
tures made  which  he  was  at  no  loss  to  comprehend.  The  press 
increased  as  they  drew  near  the  door  of  the  Town  House,  and 
in  the  disorder  incident  to  the  introduction  of  the  prisoners  into 
the  building,  more  than  one  of  the  movers  in  the  late  sedition 
found  an  occasion  to  assure  the  master  of  the  Escalfador,  by  a  brief 
hint,  of  their  readiness  to  co-operate  in  seizing  the  brigantine. 

Cocklescraft  and  his  crew  were  conducted  into  the  presence 
of  the  Proprietary  by  Dauntrees,  who,  leaving  the  guard  in  the 
hall  or  passage-way  that  separated  the  court  room  from  that 
occupied  by  the  council,  ranged  the  prisoners  within  the  apart- 
ment on  either  side  of  the  door,  which,  being  left  open,  exposed 
to  view  the  musketeers,  who  were  thus  in  a  position  to  do  their 
duty  in  case  any  difficulty  should  render  their  interference  neces- 
sary ;  whilst  the  crowd,  at  the  same  time,  intruded  itself  into  the 
hall  with  such  importunity  as  to  leave  but  little  space  for  the 
occupation  of  the  guard. 

Cocklescraft  had  lost  none  of  the  moodiness  that  character- 
ized his  demeanor  after  his  surrender  on  the  clay  previous.  He 
was  somewhat  paler,  owing  to  the  wound  upon  his  brow,  which 


424  BOB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

was  now  bound  up  with  a  bandage  of  black  silt  that,  in  some 
(degree,  enhanced  the  sickly  aspect  of  his  complexion.  Still  the 
fire  of  his  spirit  sparkled  in  his  unquenched  eye,  and  a  sullen 
scowl,  as  he  looked  Albert  Yerheyden  in  the  face,  rested  on  his 
features.  A  slight  but  guarded  expression  of  surprise  flashed 
across  his  countenance  when  his  glance  encountered  Rob  of  the 
Bowl.  He  was  unaware  of  the  presence  of  The  Cripple  in  the 
port ;  nor  had  he,  up  to  this  moment,  ever  entertained  a  suspi- 
cion that  Rob  had  deserted  him.  The  escape  of  the  Secretary 
he  imputed  alone  to  the  carelessness  of  the  seamen  ;  the  failure 
of  the  brigantine  to  meet  him  at  the  rendezvous,  he  set  down  to 
accident  and  unskilfulness,  and  her  presence  now  in  the  harbor 
to  a  cause  altogether  disconnected  with  any  conjecture  of  treach- 
ery in  The  Cripple.  Even  the  old  man's  pi'esenee  before  the 
Council,  he  attributed  to  force,  and  believed  him  to  be,  like  him- 
self, a  prisoner.  In  this  conviction  he  now  found  himself  before 
the  chief  authorities  of  the  province.  He  was,  of  course,  weap- 
onless ;  and  as  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  him,  l\e  stood  with 
folded  arms,  his  cloth  cap  dangling  from  his  hand,  gazing  in  silent 
defiance  upon  the  assembly.  He  meditated  no  purpose  of  defence 
to  the  charges  which  he  expected  to  hear  :  the  facts  of  his  late 
outrage  admitted  none,  and  the  presence  of  the  Secretary  assured 
him  that  the  crime  he  had  attempted  to  perpetrate  on  All  Soul's 
Eve  had  been  divulged  in  all  its  enormity,  and  with  such  full 
identification  of  the  actors  in  it  as  to  render  useless  all  attempt 
even  at  palliation. 

The  unabashed  gesture  of  the  buccaneer,  his  confident  port 
and  look,  even  of  scorn,  provoked  an  instant  emotion  of  resent- 
ment in  the  Proprietary,  as  well  as  of  the  greater  number  of  those 
who  surrounded  him. 

"  Viper  !"  he  said,  "  dost  thou  approach  us  with  this  shame- 
less front  to  brave  our  authority  in  the  province  !     Does  no  sense 


R.OB     OF     THE     BOWL.  425 

of  crime  abash  thy  brow,  that  here,  in  the  presence  of  those  whom 
thou  hast  most  foully  wronged,  thou  showest  thy  dastardly  face 
without  a  blush  !  Richard  Cocklescraft,  you  came  hither,  as  all 
men  thought,  a  peaceful  trader,  and  found  the  friendship  of  the 
port  accorded  to  you,  without  stint  or  question.  Again  and 
again  you  left  us,  and  returned  ;  and  the  townspeople  ever  gave 
you  hearty  welcome  to  their  homes.  How  brief  a  span  is  it, 
since  we  saw  you  breaking  bread  and  sharing  the  wine-cup  with 
this  aged  father,  whose  daughter,  execrable  villain,  thou  soughtest 
to  carry  off  by  force,  in  the  dead  hour  of  the  night  ?  Hast  thou 
not  plotted  against  the  life  of  the  Secretary  ?  Didst  thou  not 
murder  the  fisherman,  bloody  and  remorseless  man  ?  Didst  thou 
not,  like  a  coward,  strike  at  the  gray  hairs  of  this  venerable 
man,  when  thou  stol'st  upon  him  in  his  sleep  ?" 

"  No  !"  replied  the  pirate  leader,  in  a  voice  loud  and  angry, 
undaunted  by  the  presence  of  the  chief  functionaries  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  untamed  by  his  captivity.  "  He  lies  who  says  I  struck 
at  the  Collector  !  though,  by  St.  Iago,  Anthony  Warden  may 
claim  no  favor  at  my  hands, — " 

"  Favor  at  thy  hands  !"  exclaimed  the  Collector,  who  could 
not  sit  quiet  whilst  the  skipper  spoke — ■"  A  boy,  who  undertakes 
to  play  at  man's  game,  with  men  ! — A  boy,  to  prate  me  thus  !" 

"  I  pray  you,  Master  Warden,"  interposed  the  Proprietary, 
mildly,  "do  not  interfere." 

"  I  struck  not  at  the  Collector,"  repeated  Cocklescraft ;  "  I 
iook  to  match  my  sword  with  men  not  spent  with  age.  When 
others  would  have  beaten  this  old  man  to  the  ground,  I  saved 
him.  I  plotted  not  against  the  Secretary's  life,"  he  continued, 
answering  the  accusations  which  the  Proprietary  had  at  random 
heaped  upon  him.  "  I  slew  the  fisherman,  as  a  hound  that  had 
been  set  to  track  my  path.  I  carried  away  this  old  man's  daugh- 
ter because  I  loved  her.     Are  you  answered,  Lord  Baltimore  ?" 


426  ROB     OF     THE     BOWL. 

"  Impudent  outlaw  I"  returned  the  Proprietary,  with  an  ex- 
'bitement  of  speech  altogether  unaccustomed,  "dost  thou  beard 
us  with  the  confession  of  thy  crimes  ?  Have  the  laws  of  the 
province  no  terrors  for  thee  ?" 

"  I  never  acknowledged  your  Lordship's  laws,"  retorted  the 
seaman,  scornfully.  "  I  have  lived  above  them — coming  when  I 
would,  and  going  when  it  pleased  me.  By  St.  Anthony,  your 
Lordship  hath  but  a  sorry  set  of  lieges  !  You  might  do  well  to 
teach  the  better  half  of  the  freemen  to  remember  that  Charles 
Calvert  claims  to  be  lord  and  master  of  this  province — they 
seem  to  have  forgotten  it.  You  think  I  am  saucy,  my  Lord  ;  I 
have  but  one  master  here — Old  Rob  of  the  Trencher,  my  fellow 
prisoner  : — we  will  die  in  company." 

"  Peace,  knave  !"  ejaculated  Rob,  in  his  former  peevish  voice 
of  command.  "  I  know  thee  and  thy  villainies  of  old.  Never 
again  call  me  comrade  of  thine.  Thou  shalt  not  depart  in  igno- 
rance of  the  favor  you  owe  me,  Dickon  Cocklescraft.  Know  that 
I  saved  the  Secretary's  life— that  1  gave  back  the  daughter  to 
her  father's  bosom " 

"  Thou  !■"  exclaimed  Cocklescraft,  with  a  deeper  storm  thick- 
ening.on  his  brow.     "  Thou  !  didst  thou  betray  me  ?" 

"  I  foiled  thee,"  replied  Rob,  as  a  vengeful  smile  played  on 
his  features,  "in  thy  horrid  plot  ; — I  saved  the  boy's  life — ha, 
ha !  I  saved  his  life  ! — and  left  thee  on  the  island  without  a 
refuge — thy  villainy  deserved  it." 

"Betrayed, — betrayed  by  thee  !"  vociferated  the  pirate,  as 
with  the  swift  spring  of  the  tiger  he  threw  himself  upon  The 
Cripple,  and  seized  the  long  knife  from  the  old  man's  girdle,  and 
plunged  it  deep  into  his  bosom,  shouting  as  he  struck  the  blow, 
"  By  St.  Iago,  I  have  paid  thee  for  it  !" 

The  suddenness  of  the  deed  took  all  by  surprise,  and  scarce  a 
ptep  was  made  nor  a  hand  raised  to  arrest  the  murderer,  who, 


ROB     OF     THE     BOW: 


427 


with  a  quickness  that  defied  orderly  resistance,  turned  towards 
the  door,  with  the  bloody  weapon  in  his  hand,  and  pronouncing 
aloud  the  watchword  that  seemed  to  electrify  his  men — "  A  la 
savanna  !"  rushed,  at  the  head  of  his  crew,  into  the  hall.  The 
guards  at  the  door  were  no  less  unprepared  for  resistance  than 
the  persons  within,  whilst  the  crowd  in  the  hall  gave  ground, 
with  that  sudden  panic  which  belongs  to  all  unorganized  masses 
of  men,  and  fled  tumultuously  before  the  buccaneer  and  his  band 
— thus 'increasing  the  confusion  and  rendering  it  impossible  for 
the  weak  guard  of  the  hall  either  to  follow  the  fugitives  with  the 
necessary  expedition  to  overtake  them,  or  to  fire  upon  them, 
without  risk  of  greater  injury  to  friend  than  foe. 

As  soon  as  Cockleseraft  was  seen  on  the  open  ground  in 
front  of  the  Town  House,  driving  with  headlong  haste  towards 
the  quay,  the  partisans  of  Goode  and  Fendall,  constituting  a 
considerable  number  of  those  who  frequented  the  spot,  increased 
the  disorder  by  a  clamor  which,  under  the  show  of  pursuit,  in 
truth  retarded  the  movement  of  those  who  endeavored  to 
intercept  the  flying  band.  The  momentary  consternation  in  the 
chamber  being  over,  the  Proprietary  and  those  around  him, 
sprang  from  their  seats  and  ran  to  the  great  door,  whence  they 
could  witness  the  struggle  of  pursuit.  Dauntrees,  at  the  first 
moment,  had  repaired  to  his  men,  and  was  immediately  busy  in 
attempting  to  open  a  way  through  the  crowd,  in  which  he  was 
greatly  impeded  by  the  tumultuous  interference  of  the  mal- 
contents. Albert  Verheyden,  in  the  act  cf  moving  to  leave  the 
apartment,  was  recalled  by  the  voice  of  the  wounded  man,  and 
instantly  returned  to  his  side,  where,  with  Father  Pierre,  he 
awaited  in  anxious  suspense,  the  recapture  of  the  prisoners. 

Meantime  Cockleseraft  furiously  urged  his  onward  course. 
He  had  snatched  a  sword  in  the  crowd,  with  which  he  became  a 
formidable  enemy  to  all  who  crossed  his  path,  and   soon   dis- 


42S  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

covered,  from  their  shouts,  that  his  nearest  pursuers  were  in  fact 
aiding  his  escape.  The  only  exception  to  this  was  Talbot  and 
our  old  friend  Arnold,  who,  foremost  in  the  melee,  had  at  one 
moment,  as  they  sped  down  the  bank,  come  in  actual  contact 
with  the  fugitives,  and  Talbot  had  exchanged  more  than  one 
pass  with  Cocklescraft.  The  crowd  thicKened  on  the  quay  ; 
shouts  rent  the  air,  and  cries  of  encouragement  and  strife 
resounded  from  all  sides. 

The  passage  over  the  quay  was  opened — the  boat  gained,  the 
rope  severed,  the  oars  in  place, — and  in  another  instant  the 
buccaneers  were  in  full  flight  upon  their  accustomed  element. 
The  musketeers  hasten  to  the  wharf, — their  small  band  jostled, 
pressed,  and  swayed  by  the  incumbering  crowd — an  ineffectual 
volley  is  fired — Cocklescraft  waves  his  hand  in  triumph — the 
Escalfador  is  won  from  the  feeble  resistance  of  her  light  guard, 
and  the  pirates  are  again  upon  their  own  deck.  The  cable  is 
slipped,  sail  after  sail  drops  from  the  yard  or  runs  up  along  the 
mast — the  brigantine  swings  round  to  a  fair  and  stiff  breeze 
under  a  cloudless  heaven,  and  cleaves  her  way  mid-stream 
towards  the  mouth  of  the  river.  A  few  harmless  shot  were  fired 
from  the  fort,  as  she  bounded  past ;  and  almost  before  the 
bewildered  burghers  were  aware,  she  had  swept  beyond  the 
limit  of  the  harbor — her  daring  master  standing  at  the  helm  and 
looking  back  at  the  town,  scarce  able  to  realize  the  truth  of  his 
own  escape,  as  he  waved  his  bonnet  in  derision  of  the  gaping 
crowd.  Many  eyes  still  lingered  upon  this  fleeting  vision,  until 
the  white  sails  of  the  Escalfador  disappeared  behind  the  project- 
ing headland  which  opened  to  her  prow  the  broad  current  of  the 
Potomac. 

Not  all  could  note  this  stirring  strife  of  flight.     A  melancholy 

attraction  drew  back  the  Proprietary  and  his  council    to    the 

■  chamber.     When  Albert  was  recalled  to  the  side  of  the  wounded 


ROB     OF     THE     BOWL.  429 

man,  it  was  but  to  hear  his  own  name  pronounced  in  a  whispered 
accent,  and  then  to  see  the  sufferer  faint  away.  For  some  min- 
utes, Father  Pierre  and  the  Secretary,  the  only  persons  in  the 
room,  thought  life  was  fled  ;  but  whilst  they  still  watched,  the 
light  of  the  eye  flickered  upon  them,  and,  by  degrees,  a  sickly 
animation  returned  to  the  body.  When  Lord  Baltimore  and 
the  others  had  gathered  around,  Rob  was  able  to  speak.  His 
voice  was  faint,  and  his  gaze  was  upon  the  secretary. 

"  My  web  is  wove,"  he  said,  in  that  figurative  language 
which  had  grown  to  be  his  habitual  form  of  expression. 
"  Albert  Verheyden,  thou  look'st  upon — upon  thy  father — 
William  Weatherby — a  man  of  crime — and  misery.  Thy  hand, 
boy — thy  lips  upon  my  brow — there — there,"  he  whispered,  as 
his  son,  pale  as  a  spectre  and  trembling  with  emotion,  benl 
down  over  his  prostrate  trunk  and  kissed  his  forehead.  "  Pity 
me,  my  son,  and  forgive  me  for  thy  mother's  sake.  Poor 
Louise— Louise- — ■"  and  with  this  name  again  and  again  breathed 
from  his  lips,  when  no  other  sound  could  be  heard,  his  spirit  was 
gradually  wafted  from  its  mutilated  and  weary  tenement  of  clay. 

"  I  forgive  thee — I  forgive  and  pity  !"  breathed  Albert,  with 
sobs  that  shook  his  whole  frame,  as  he  threw  himself  upon  the 
lifeless  body  of  his  father. 

"  My  dear  Albert,  leave  this  place,"  said  Father  Pierre  ; 
"  let  us  go  to  the  Chapel,  and  there  thou  may'st  temper  thy 
grief  with  prayer.  His  lordship  will  take  order  for  the  disposal 
of  the  body.  I  have  a  paper  which  I  was  charged,  when  this 
event  should  take  place — and  in  his  reckoning  it  was  not  far 
off — to  deliver  into  thy  hands.  Come,  and  when  we  have  done 
our  duty  at  the  altar,  I  will  give  it  thee." 

With  silent  step  and  slow,  Albert  leaning  on  the  arm  of  the 
priest,  they  left  the  Town  House,  and  walked  towards  the  little 
Chapel  of  St.  Mary's. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Here  ends  my  tale.  We  have  no  longer  an  interest  to  follow 
the'  fortunes  of  the  personages  who  have  been  brought  to  view 
in  this  motleyed  narrative  of  trivial  and  tragic  events.  A  brief 
memorandum  will  tell  all  that  remains  to  gratify  the  inquiries  of 
my  readers! 

After  the  crossings  of  fortune  which  we  have  read  in  the 
history  of  Albert  and  Blanche,  Ave  may  presume  the  time,  at 
last,  came  for  the  current  of  true  love  to  run  smooth  as  a  glassy 
lake.  The  next  festival  at  the  Rose  Croft  found  Father  Pierre 
in  a  prominent  official  position,  and  the  maiden  a  blooming  bride 
upon  the  arm  of  the  happy  Secretary. 

The  worldly  wise  will  be  pleased,  perhaps,  to  learn  that, 
after  some  most  liberal  appropriations  to  charitable  uses,  by  way 
of  purification  of  the  more  than  doubtful  uncleanness  of  the 
Cripple's  wealth,  Albert  fell  heir  to  no  small  hoard  ;  and  this 
gear,  as  it  was  generously  distributed  in  acts  of  hospitality  and 
bounty  to  the  poor,  we  would  fain  hope  the  straitest  casuist  will 
allow,  was  not  unjustly  taken  by  the  Secretary, — Iks  title  to  it 
resting  upon  the  will  of  William  Weatherby,  which  was  produced 
in  due  time  by  Father  Pierre. 

As  to  the  conspirators, '  they  were  losers  in  every  way. 
First,  the  buccaneer  and  his  brigautine  came  not  to  their 
rescue  ;  and  secondly,  the  trials  proceeded  without  interruption. 


ROB     OF    THE     BOWL.  431 

Josias  Fendall  was  fined  in  a  very  heavy  sum,  and  imprisoned 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  Proprietary.  His  brother  and  John 
Coode,  from  some  apprehension  of  rousing  too  keenly  the 
popular  grudge,  were  more  mildly  dealt  with.  George  Godfrey 
was  sentenced  to  death,  but  finding  favor  upon  the  petition  of 
his  wife,  had  his  punishment  commuted  into  a  rigorous  confine- 
ment in  the  jail  of  St.  Mary's. 

What  became  of  the  other  confederates  of  Coode  and 
Fendall,  the  records  do  not  inform  us  ;  but  we  may  infer 
that  the  dominant  party  in  the  province  felt  their  authority 
too  slender  to  prosecute  them  with  much  severity — 

"They  fear  to  punish,  therefore  do  they  pardon." 

Touching  our  unfortunate  friend  of  "  the  gentle  craft,"  the 
warlike  corporal,  history  happens  to  have  embalmed  his  memory 
with  the  unction  of  a  favorite,  and  to  have  consigned  him  to  the 
notice  of  posterity  with  a  distinctness  of  fame  that  would,  if  he 
could  have  contemplated  it.  have  almost  made  him,  in  spite  of 
his  miseries,  in  love  with  rebellion.  I  find  in  the  proceedings  of 
the  council,  in  the  month  of  March  following  these  events,  "  the 
humble  petition"  of  Edward  Abbott,  a  "  poor,  distressed,  and 
sorrowful  penitent,"  who  mo^l  dolorously  complains  of  his  in- 
sufferable confinement,  meekly  confessing  his  sins,  and  affirming, 
by  way  of  extenuation,  that,  in  the  commission  of  them,  "  he  was 
so  much  in  drink  that  he  did  not  remember  any  tiling  either 
what  was  done  or  spoken  at  the  time."  And  to  this  petition  is 
appended  the  following  entry, — 

"  The  petitioner  making  his  submission  in  open  court,  upon 
his  knees  begging  pardon  for  his  offence,  the  Justices  are  ordered 
to  wave  sentence  passing  against  him,  his  lordship  having 
granted  his  pardon." 


432  ROB     OF    THE     BOWL. 

And  so,  gentle  reader,  good  night  !  We  part,  I  would  even 
indulge  the  hope,  but  for  a  short  period  ;  after  which  we  may 
find  motive  to  look  again  into  the  little  city  and  renew  our 
acquaintance. 


THE     END 


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